A Perfect Tournament
by Demod20
Summary: The most unexpected twist of fate befell the Universe 7 Team: Majin Buu has fallen asleep! With only hours left before the Tournament of Power begins the team look for help from an old enemy from the past; one whose search for perfection and validation haunts the planet to this day. (Tournament of Power Mini-Series Starring: Perfect Cell!)
1. Perfection Reborn!

Majin Buu had fallen asleep.

It was the last thing any of them had expected. For the last few days, the pink skinned Djinn had been active and exercised to the point of ludicrous improvement. He had even been dubbed as 'Fit Buu' due to his lanky thin stature he had taken upon. But now that everything was about to become underway, he had passed out from exhaustion and swelled back to his normal shape of plump gumminess.

They were all doomed if they couldn't find a feasible replacement in the next few hours!

"Oh man oh man oh man!" Kuririn paced back and forth with his hands nervously scratching his hairless scalp. "This is bad! Real bad!"

"You're telling me!" Beerus, the Hakaishin of Universe 7, snarled with visible outrage. Veins pulsed visibly across his face, his hand raised up with indignation that he shook with angry futility. "If I had my way, I'd destroy him outright! But, I can't threaten someone whose asleep, and there's no one left on this blasted rock who can even be a decent replacement!"

"Buu was pretty strong too," Gohan confirmed, raising a hand to pensively stroke his chin as he narrowed his eyes at the ground in serious contemplation. "We could call Yamcha, but he hasn't been into martial arts seriously for years. I mean, I think he said he was trying to train a couple years back, but he's probably not even on the same level as Tenshinhan or Kuririn."

"Would it be terrible that I think we could ask Mr. Satan?" Kuririn questioned aloud with a faint glint of humor in his eyes.

"ABSOLUTELY NOT!" Mark shouted distantly from inside of the house they were now gathered outside of. "I AM NOT GOING TO JOIN YOU FREAKS TO GET TORN INTO PIECES! COUNT ME OUT!"

"I'd sooner be erased than trust him to lend any strength to our supreme battle royal," Vegeta stated aloud, his body leaning against the house of the current reigning champ of Earth; in title but little else, of course. "It's such a shame we don't know much else substantially in the rest of this Universe. You'd think there'd be someone even remotely competent we could snatch up, even by force."

Whis sighed at this. While he had plenty of cosmic data on hand, available for him to scroll through to the far past, he had no contextual knowledge of specific individuals who could have become strong enough to assist this Universe's odds of survival. There was also the problem of the constant erasure of warriors of worlds they were intent on replacing through the Kaioshin's natural instinct to create. However due to the past eons of Shin's amateurish neglect, there was a large slew of star systems in various galaxies that were devoid of anything resembling impressive life forms that could be comparable to those of the Milky Way's.

"Wait!" Goku raised a hand up, his face brightening up with realization. "We do know someone!"

"Really?" Beerus inquired with sudden interest, his temper quieting as he now had vested interest in someone to aid his continued existence; ironically perpetuated by the Saiyan that instigated the Tournament in the first place.

"Well, not outside of Earth, actually," The Turtle Schooler replied. Using his raised hand to scratch the back of his head, he squinted his eyes shut and sheepishly answered. "Though you may not like it."

Vegeta's eyes first widened then deepened into an instinctive scowl, "No. You are not bringing _him _back!"

"It won't be forever!" Son Goku pleaded, turning around to pinch his forefinger with his thumb as he winked at Vegeta. "Just for Twenty Four hours! I can get Baba to help make it happen, but we'd have to be quick!"

"Who are you talking about?" The feline destroyer growled with impatience, placing his hands on his hips with insistence. "Out with it."

"Freeza!" Goku blurted out with eyes wide and a broad smile on his face. "He's super strong, and-"

"NO!"

"-he's someone we've surpassed-"

Beerus finally chopped Goku's head when the earth raised Saiyan refused to stop talking. The force of it was so great that Goku's rolled back and he fell onto the ground on all fours, steam rising from his scalp that swelled into a comical pulsing bruise. Grimacing at the blow he looked up and suddenly looked nervous, seeing the Hakaishin glaring dangerously at him.

"I do not trust Freeza, nor do I trust your judgement. The last time he was alive, he almost destroyed the planet and killed everyone else. If we hadn't shown you mercy, you would have been defeated. I cannot accept this as an alternative," He sneered with a rare purple light blistering around his body with a genuine threat to kill Goku. "_Think of someone else, or I'll erase you and await my own demise in the next few hours._"

"Ah! Geez, Bee-"

"And don't call me BEE!" Beerus sputtered out with bulging eyes, spurting spit over Goku's scalp much to the Saiyan's dismay. "It's Beerus! Lord Beerus!"

"A-Alright, L-Lord Beerus! Stop spitting on me, please..."

Vegeta snorted with contempt, turning his face to look away from the pair. Personally, he knew that Freeza was as untrustworthy as they came. There was a list of scum that he had personally saw to their deaths or had at least played a part in their downfall. There was none more treacherous than Freeza. His father too, and practically every scumbag that worked under the Freeza Force banner were as underhanded and cutthroat as he was, even if on a much smaller scale.

But just as Vegeta was recounting his long history of foes he's faced and adversaries he's clashed, everyone was still reeling from Goku's choice. While many could recount his horrors firsthand during his resurrection return for vengeance -unlike the absent cyborg twins- all knew what kind of villain he was. It'd be a cold day in Hell before they'd dredge someone that heinous back up.

However, a look of shock crossed the eldest child of Son Goku.

"Of course!" Gohan acknowledged with a glint of epiphany struck his mind. "Why didn't I think of it sooner?"

Whis leaned over with curiosity. The most talented of the group yet least combat minded had achieved some sort of selected memory that could aid them? He was most intrigued to see what the elected team captain of Universe 7 had to say.

"Now this is going to be a risk, but I think it'd be a far more manageable one," The half-blood Saiyan acknowledged, looking more cautious but still resolved as he looked over to Beerus across the idly postured cyborg twins and the standing Kuririn. "Instead of resurrecting Freeza for the Tournament, why not bring Cell back?"

Now it was time for the rest of the collective of Universe 7's assembled fighters to be stunned. Everyone was tangentially familiar with the organism in question, artificially created through splicing the genetic material of the strongest five warriors Doctor Gero had crafted. But, just like with 17 and 18's ignorance of Freeza's horrific actions firsthand, Beerus and Whis looked completely lost as to the significance of this individual.

"Who?" Beerus parroted out.

"How can you even ask that?!" 18 questioned aloud with a look of horror and rage flashing over her face. She took a few steps towards Gohan, only for 17 to hold an arm up in front of his sister. This caused her to give him a look and his own face showed a far darker expression than his stoicism usually allowed. As she quieted, they allowed Gohan to explain himself.

"Cell is what you'd call an Android, but even more unique than 17 and 18," Gohan informed Beerus, feeling odd at how he had to give descriptors to a being he was personally responsible for destroying to the last nucleus. "He's a biological creation, composed of the genes of five of the strongest warriors of the time of his conception: My father, Vegeta, the Trunks from the Future you met, Freeza and his father Cold. Along with various other functions he's a very crafty creature and when he achieved his Perfect form he became so strong that not even my father could beat him; it took all I had to destroy him."

"Curious I was never informed of this happening," Beerus sneered, looking over at Whis with a flickering glare.

"You were only curious of Son Goku's encounter with Freeza. I never thought you wanted to know his whole life story," He dismissed airily with a nonchalant shrug.

"Well he definitely sounds impressive, for an artificial creation," The Hakaishin of Universe 7 nodded with acknowledgement, looking around to the rest of the assigned contestants for the Tournament of Power. "Anyone got a problem with working with him?"

"He's a vile organism with all the guile and sliminess of Freeza coupled with Vegeta's negative flaws and Goku's love of battle," Piccolo informed Beerus, his arms crossed over his chest as he turned to face the Hakaishin with a thin glare poised to the destroyer. "But, he's strong and quite cunning. And he loves a good competition. A chance for him to show off in front of the highest of gods and the opportunity to get a wish might be too much for him to ignore. As long as someone can convince him, he's far more reasonable than Freeza would be, as hard as it is for me to admit that about him."

"He is strong," Tenshinhan admitted aloud, looking sullen at the prospect of bringing back such a terror to life, even if temporarily. "But he's power hungry. He might eliminate us if he finds it suits his interests better."

"He'll follow the rules if it means keeping himself alive," Gohan argued, raising a hand up to gesture to 17 and 18. "Look, I know you two have every right to hate me for asking this, given what he put you two through. However, given recent events, I'd try my hand on keeping around the weaker of the two."

"I know I can't stop you from choosing him," 18 intoned with gritted teeth, blue eyes shining angrily towards him. "But know this. If he jeopardizes our chances of surviving this battle royal in any way I won't hesitate to blast him off the ring."

"That goes second for me," 17 roughly grated, crossing his arms over his chest as he nodded to Gohan. "You do what you got to do, Team Captain. But I'm a lot stronger than the last time I squared off with that giant, ugly cockroach. If he tries anything to hurt my sister and I, I'll crush him faster than he can blink."

"Fair enough," Gohan grimly acknowledged with a blink.

"Ah man," Goku suddenly spoke aloud, now standing upright as he nursed the bump on his head with his right palm. "Cell, huh? I completely forgot about him. How long has it been?"

"Not long enough," Vegeta spat with a dark look shown to Gohan. However, it didn't last long as a grin formed as a direct contrast to his glare that brought chills from the son of Kakarrot's spine. "However, it'd be nice to have a punching bag to soften up the weaklings of the Tournament. If nothing else this will be amusing to see him struggle with the other Earthlings present."

"You best not underestimate us, Vegeta," Tenshinhan intoned with a scowl from his three eyes. This was backed up by Kuririn nodding to Muten Roshi, whom had been mostly a silent spectator to most of the antics shared by the rest of them. "We're far more capable than you believe us to be."

"I know. But Cell has a lot more tricks than any of you put together. At least he has his uses in that respect," He snorted, closing his eyes as he resigned himself to this choice. "Still, we should go get him while we still have time. If you can convince him, that is."

"I'll go!" Goku offered, smiling with a more eager grin on his face than a silly one. "It's exciting to see an old foe of mine, face to face. Plus, I know the way, and I think I can smooth things over with Baba and King Yemma in a jiffy."

"Fine, just hurry up!" Beerus insisted with an angry swish of his arm. "The clock is ticking, and we need him to show up here, now!"

"Gotcha!" He waved, finger pressed on his forehead as he fixed himself on Baba's energy. "See you in a bit!"

And, in a flicker, he was gone. Everyone was left in somber contemplation about the reckoning they may face in inviting someone as notorious as Cell into their ranks. Truly they were desperate that they'd choose him as a more 'manageable' teammate than someone like Cell. They could only hope that Goku was convincing enough that Cell would be on board with it.

"Dad, you are the only one that he respects and wants to beat you with his own hands. If you can use that to bargain with him, I'm sure you can get him on your side; or at least, get on his good side," Gohan thought, staring hopefully up into the starry night sky of planet Earth.

Clock was still ticking, and it was under two hours before they had to leave for the Tournament of Power; or risk immediate erasure.

* * *

Flaws.

He was surrounded by imperfection, at every turn.

Cell had, upon his immediate disintegration by Gohan's Kamehameha, been thrown into his own personal Hell. Though this wasn't entirely accurate, Cell -disembodied at the time- had to wait in line with a slew of other souls trafficking what seemed to be a highway in the middle of the clouds of Devil Realm. Once he arrived for judgement, a behemoth of a man in a suit with horns and red skin with a long flowing beard looked down at him. The alleged 'King' Yemma said he was damned for Hell and would be reincarnated with all memories of his past life cleansed. The Perfect Being refused to budge, believing he was judged by petty moral compasses lesser beings possessed and shouldn't be ascribed a similar punishment as any other being, villain or otherwise.

His judge agreed, but not in the way he wanted it to be.

Thus his sentencing was placed in a particular place that he now regrets to be damned in. Arranged in such a way where he maintained his body to some capacity but was held aloft, suspended by vein-shaped tubes. He was trapped in a tank, not too dissimilar from the claustrophobic incubator that he was groomed into adulthood since the beginning. But unlike before where the tight space itself was an excruciating experience, it was insignificant compared to the horrors he was surrounded by.

Cracked mirrors. Slanted sidewalks. A glare of a spotlight just out of focus, inverted glitching television. The list spiraled on and revolved around what he could see from the glass shell he couldn't break, let alone move. All he could do was scream with rage as well as indignation from within his liquid prison and the wired restraints that kept him still. It was all an eternity of obstructive distractions that the Perfect Being was slowly being driven mad by.

However, an oversight of the fact this cosmic torture room kept him physical to enhance his suffering had left a solitary issue unguarded. He could still think, feel, and comprehend. Thus, when he had been granted a glimpse of Goku's energy within the Afterlife, he had been brought clarity for the first time in who knows how long he's been imprisoned? He'd get glimpses, mentally imagined pictures of what was transpiring through sensation of _ki_ alone before he learned to tune his awareness even further.

It was easier with larger bodies of life force but he soon found this to be reflective of even the smallest bundles of living things that existed. He could even detect others like himself that were trapped in seemingly endless abysses of terror and horror of their own making. Yes, each one was naturally affixed to make them suffer in a way that was antithesis to their existence or a karmic response to their evil deeds. Among that which was clear was that his situation wasn't unique; he was just one of many that had 'special punishment' unlike souls that were either sentenced into limbo or were good enough for reincarnation.

He found some dry sense of irony that Gero was likely experiencing the same horrors that he and others of his ilk were going through.

Through several instances in the years after his epiphany he began to detect events unfold with near perfect clairvoyance. The battles against Majin Buu, the near end of everything by something beyond his comprehension and then, only a short while ago, Freeza has been revived. He had been carefully observant of this tyrant's activities, especially since his genes were a part of him. What he had discovered through peeking through the void of his hellish tank was not only Freeza capable of self improvement; he excelled at it.

He could at one point feel it tower outwards, eclipse all other energies he had felt, even the ones that he could detect facing off against the unseen enemy. But he could tell that Son Goku himself had transcended his own limitations and his own _ki_ had become incapable of being felt. There was a level beyond simply Super Saiyan and Freeza had unlocked the key of circumventing it.

So in his carefully astute observations, Cell knew what he had to do. Though he lacked the ability to train in the brute force of trial and error that Freeza was given, he acquired something else he didn't have. His heightened state of awareness and acute _ki_ control gave him all of the information he needed from his constrained prison. So he just focused his energy and built it up inside of his tank, distancing himself from the noisy imperfections that continued to taunt him without ceasing.

It was agonizing. A slow process of improvement that worked up in increments. But slowly but surely, the Bio-Android could feel it within his bones that he was getting instrumental progress. The energy flowed so much differently than it ever had in the past. In retrospect he found it so utterly absurd how simple of a technique it was to polish that he fundamentally knew that Freeza -and in line with his genes, his father- lacked the ability to think like a true fighter. Even if he trained in an efficient way, he had no grasp for self discipline like Goku or Vegeta had; even Trunks had a better understanding and he was a rank amateur compared to the latter two!

As a consequence of his training, he had blocked himself from the outside world. Concealing his own mind from the eternal punishment he was incurred with, he had no idea that a future possessed doppelganger of Goku had come to this timeline's past to fight the original article. Nor did he know of the events that would play out in the original timeline -the Trunks of the Future's timeline- and the events that would cascade into the current predicament. Even as seconds ticked by that turned into days, weeks, months and so on, he didn't know of the deadly exhibition match that was used as a demonstration for events soon to come.

So, when he finally felt something swoop in without warning, he was understandably rattled.

"Yo! Cell! You here?"

_That voice!_

Cell could hardly believe he was hearing it right. After only being in touch with the Saiyan through his advanced form clairyvoyance it was hard to fathom this wasn't just a trick of the mind. But no, on the other side of his tank's glass, he could see him! He was peering in with a bewildered expression, smudging his visage against the barrier while cupping his hands around his wide blinking eyes.

"Huh! So this is your little Hell? Never thought I'd see you cramped up in a space like this!"

"_If you're quite done,_" Cell spoke telepathically, knowing full well his voice wouldn't carry over to Goku's ears. After all, his mouth was breathing this gelatinous fluid that kept him alive but also impaired his ability to speak. It was a noxious liquid he wished to be rid of as much as the backdrop of imperfection cycled in front of him; given reprieve only by Goku's dumbfounded expression. "_What are you here for, Son Goku? To gloat? Can't you see I'm suffering enough as it stands?_"

"Nah, I'd never do something as low as that," Goku admitted, leaning away from the glass enough to show his face show a more serious expression. "Actually, it's quite the opposite. I got an offer you don't want to refuse."

_A deal? What is he playing at?_

"_You'll find I'm a bit skeptical,_" Cell stated, his eyes narrowing into a scowl from amidst his cramped fixture. "_Can you explain this deal?_"

"Oh, you'll love it!" He started with an ecstatic tone. Eyes were that familiar bright white with black centers, his mouth spread broadly with simple angle to express his sincerity. If there was one advantage to talking with him, it was that he was impossible to be fooled by and that you could pretty much gauge his intent simply by observing how his expressions changed with his speech. "There's this big tournament coming up, and we need the best! We were talking it over and, well, at first I was thinking of Freeza but nobody trusted him-"

"_You had me at tournament, but lost me at Freeza,_" The captive Bio-Android intoned with an angled scowl to emphasize his telepathic sneer. "_Why did you go to him? Aren't I superior to that fossil?_"

"Oh, you probably don't know!"

_That's it, tell me your secrets, Goku._

"_Elaborate,_" Cell demanded with wider eyes of scarlet staring through the glass back at his black orbs.

"Freeza got resurrected by the Dragon Balls!" He explained, raising a finger with emphasis and a chuckle. "Apparently his goons from the Freeza Force thought to swipe them when we weren't paying attention. Then, after that, he trained like crazy for a few months and got ridiculously strong!"

"_Hmmm, interesting,_" Cell feigned curiosity, finding confirmation in what he already had suspected awhile ago and what led to his own increase in strength. "_So if he's so strong, why come to me? Surely you can just go to him again, right?_"

"That's the thing," He whispered, his eyes shifting to the side with a look of annoyance present on his simple face. "Lord Beerus threatened to kill me if I picked out Freeza to substitute Majin Buu. And a lot of people were giving me mean stares so I don't think they liked that idea very much either. So yeah, it was a no go."

_Majin Buu? That must be the energy that clashed against Goku's and the others awhile back. But Lord Beerus? He sounds like someone higher up than that. Was he the unseen fighter that Goku fought before Freeza's return? Questions to be answered later, I suppose._

"_So, you wanted someone you could easily control and was more trustworthy for this tournament,_" Cell parsed together, arching a brow from behind the fluid encased space so Goku could see him expressing a dubious thought on the nature of his visit. "_It sounds fascinating enough. What are the stakes? The prize? And the competition?_"

"Ah, right!" Goku scratched the back of his head, looking a little nervous. Cell didn't know that previously the Turtle School trained Saiyan had, at several points, had poorly lied to some of his friends to convince them to join under false pretenses through his son's insistence of keeping the nature of the tournament a secret. But, given how it nearly backfired as they all turned on him for having so little faith in their commitment, he relented as he raised a hand up to one side of his face as he whispered at the tank's glass while glancing away to the side. "Well, the thing is, this guy I met awhile back named Zen'ou? Turns out he's the highest of all the gods. I wanted to compete in a tournament awhile back and insisted he host one right away; but I think he got too excited and now he wants to make it for keeps."

I don't like where this is going...

"_Goku, what did you do?_" Cell inquired with a scowl behind the tank.

"I-I didn't do it on purpose, exactly," He winced, raising his hands up defensively. "But apparently, according to the Grand Priest -er this guy who takes care of them, oh yeah, there's two thanks to-"

"_I don't need the context, just the explanation!_" The damned Android telepathically shouted.

"The Universe will blow up if we lose the Tournament of Power! We need you to fill in a spot because Buu fell asleep, and no one wants Freeza on the team!"

_What? Did I hear that right?_

"_So you're telling me,_" Cell began to repeat, his eyes twitching angrily behind the tank's glass obscured film and the bubbling fluids he was anxiously inhaling and exhaling. "_That the whole Universe, including my damned spot in the Afterlife here, will be eliminated from existence by this Zen'ou if your little team loses this tournament?!_"

Nodding, Goku swallowed hard as he sweated at the information slipping out so poorly.

_Terrific. Now if I say no, I'll be worse off than here. I won't be anywhere!_

Not wanting to let his thoughts show, Cell calculated a way he could still make it out on top. There was no guarantee that they'd keep him around, dangerous as he was, even if he assisted in their mutual continued existence. What was stopping them from putting him right back where he last was condemned to spend the rest of eternity in?

"_Okay, at least I know the stakes,_" The Bio-Android continued, his eyes now seriously fixated on Goku's behind his tank's glass. "_Now, tell me the competition. Who are we dealing with; and don't tell me exactly, just give me a broad generalization._"

"Well," Goku craned his head up, staring at the endless spiral for a ceiling that continued to usher on a conveyor belt to loop more imperfections just behind him for Cell's unpleasant viewing experience. "Well, including us, there's about eight teams from eight Universes. The team we faced in an exhibition match was no joke either, they were pretty nifty and the other teams are said to be even stronger!"

"_Understood,_" Cell fathomed, his mind already reeling out the details as Goku fed him information he could process. "_How many people per team?_"

"Ten, so on our own it'd be you, and I plus eight others. That goes for every team."

"_Alright, and what about rules?_"

"I don't know all the rules but I know we can't fly or kill people," He admitted with a shrug.

"_Hmph. They want to erase everybody but they don't want to dirty the arena with dead bodies? Whom are we appeasing, children?_"

"Actually, Zen'ou does seem like a kid-er-kids, when I think about it."

"_Nevermind, then,_" Cell dismissed with a mental sigh. "_And, what is our prize?_"

"We get a wish from the Super Dragon Balls," Goku unveiled, now grinning as he raised a finger up to Cell's now shocked eyes. "Yeah, I didn't know they existed either. But apparently they're able to do anything at all, anything we could ever want! And the last team standing can choose what to use the wish for. Sound pretty exciting right?"

"_Indeed,_" Cell narrowed his eyes, a smile brewing across his barely movable face. "_That is _very _interesting._"

"Right?!" The Turtle Schooled Saiyan exclaimed with glee. "So, you'll help us?"

"_Not quite._"

"Aw, why not?" Goku let out a whine, childishly slumping his adult body forward with exasperation. "We can't afford to waste any time. I got a little over an hour before I need you back with me on Earth! If we don't show up on time, we'll be erased by default!"

That means you really are in a hurry, aren't you, Son Goku?

"_Here's the deal,_" Cell begins to inform him, his eyes darting side to side for visual emphasis for his simple-minded visitor. "_I'm not fond of this little space nor the view of constant imperfection assorted before me, every second of every day. If you want me to help you, I need you to get me out of here for good; and do so with the Dragon Balls._"

As Goku visibly winced, Cell couldn't help but deepen his smirk. He knew he had him. He was far from a silver tongued individual and he could only negotiate when it came to things he was familiar with. As far as everything else was concerned, there was no way he could manage a counter offer. He almost dared the Earth raised Saiyan to attempt to fool him.

"Well, it seems I don't got a lotta choice here," Goku affirmed with a sloppy smile. "I can't let you be revived for good just yet, but we will be giving you a temporary body for the next twenty four hours. If you're good and help us win the tournament, then we can get you your body back."

_That's a lot of ifs...then again, I don't have a lot else to bargain for, given we have so little time. _

"_I'll hold you to that, Goku,_" Cell intoned with a dark smile behind his chamber. "_Now, if you don't mind, can you get me out of this thing?_"

"Ah! Sure!"

After agreeing to it, Cell saw Goku just casually discharge a kikoha, blasting the cage that held him prisoner for so long yet denied him any action from the inside from taking place.

Once freed, he could tell that his body was truly restored. Unlike the effigy that Hell had granted him to feel nothing but continued agony and be suspended in a cramped, tight space, this one resembled all of his finest moments right until the last breath he drew. Better still, it took all he had endured in this prison of the Afterlife and imbued it with the quiet, secret fruits of his labor that he toiled in hiding without anyone knowing any better.

Grinning, the Bio-Android made tense squeezes of his palms into fists, flexing his carapace covered chest and rolling his shoulders side to side. He was so tempted to unveil his power in front of Goku, and reveal that he had indeed grown stronger, but he decided to wait until he was at least out of this place. After all, he didn't want to give his newfound ally any reason to doubt his intentions were genuine now, right?

"Glad to see you haven't lost any strength from being cooped up in there," Goku kindly said with a happy smile, hands placed on his hips as he gave him a once over. "Yep, you even got the halo."

_Halo?_

Sure enough, as Cell looked up at the space between his head-crest, was a floating ring of softly glowing golden white. It was ridiculous, and he wondered if there was any merit to having it on him. Then again, it was the only indicator that he was running on 24 hours of borrowed time and counting. He just hoped that this tournament wasn't going to shave off time by any considerable margin.

"I guess I'll have to live with it until I get a more _permanent_ body," Cell sighed with resignation, placing emphasis on a more continued existence with a look poised that not even Goku could ignore the meaning of.

"Right-Right, I'll make sure you get a second life if we win," He chuckled, rubbing his nose at saying so.

With more clarity of the situation, however, Goku furrowed his brow and focused on the place he was going to exit. Baba's house had a distinct energy thanks to her and he could shortcut using his Instantaneous Movement. Raising a forehead as a mnemonic initiation of the technique, he raised a hand for Cell to grasp.

"Come on, take my hand and I can transport us there."

"If you don't mind," Cell proffered with a smug smirk, raising a pair of his own fingers to place to his own forehead. "I think I can follow after you."

"Tch, you're so stubborn."

"Where do you think I got it from?" The Bio-Android scoffed with wry grin.

"Haha, you're right!" Goku laughed in remembrance, soon renewing his concentration. "Alright, see you in a flash."

In a flicker of motion, the Kaio trained Saiyan vanished. Transferring his matter from one spot in the cosmos all the way to Earth, Cell felt the whole journey in an instant. As soon as he got a bead on his progenitor and rival's signature _ki_, he himself teleported from his spot of Hell.

All the way to Earth at Baba's house.

"-you are Gok-AH!" The aforementioned wrinkled sister of Roshi recoiled in shock as the second figure teleported beside Goku. If it wasn't for the ball she used for levitation and movement, she would've fallen straight to the ground at the surprise of seeing someone move exactly as the impulsive tail-less Saiyan did. "I-It's him!"

"Yes, it's _me_," Cell announced with monstrous glee, his eyes poised at her with a perverse delight of malicious intent. "You must be the mystic Baba I was told responsible for my reprieve from damnation. A pleasure to make your acquaintance, truly."

"Yes, there's not doubt about it," The witch-hat hag snorted, her eyes peering past its brim with a scowl at him that only furthered to humor him. "This is the monster who ravaged the planet all those years ago."

"Yeah, it's him, but we're cool for now," Goku assured Baba, his hands gesturing between himself and Cell with an easygoing grin. "Isn't that right, Cell?"

"Yes, we're _cool_," He chuckled, crossing his arms over his chest as he slanted his eyes in a dangerous stare. "So long as you don't intend on going back on your word, I won't have any reason to be unkind to you, Son Goku."

"See?"

Sighing, the fortuneteller shook her head with disbelief. Even now as Goku was quite proud of himself, she could only feel bad omens twining about the existence of the alleged 'perfect being'. But it wasn't her place. They needed to get to the others pronto, before the Tournament of Power was going to commence.

But, in her thinking of convincing them to move along, she sensed something else. _Something not of this world._

"Goku!" She rasped out. "Enemies have approached!"

"Yeah," Goku answered her, his voice becoming more low and his face construing into a look fitted for the situation they were now in. Shadowy figures surrounded them on all sides, adorned in painted masks and emitting an ominous _ki_ about them. "They don't feel like people I've met before. Where did they come from, and why are they picking a fight with us now?"

"Are they that foolish?" Cell inquired rhetorically, taking a few squeaking steps into the open to look over at the only figure of any substantial worth. He wasn't masked, like the others. It was something akin to an elegantly embroidered set of garbs, almost as if he was belonging to something of a religious cult or organization. With a dog-like body with rotund features and sagging cheeks, the Bio-Android squared him out with a curious stare while maintaining a civil grin. "Hello there! Might I ask why you've gathered outside of such a remote location?"

"I don't have any obligation to answer you," The dog-like leader replied, narrowing his eyes straight towards Goku with a tilt of his thick flabby neck. "Just stay here, until the tournament begins without you. Resist, and we'll make this painful."

"So, they _are_ here to stop us!"

"Thank you, Goku, that was fairly obvious," Cell rolled his eyes as he chided his companion.

"Yeah! We've got you cornered now," One of the floating henchmen crowed out in a shrill voice. "There's no way we'd let you pass us!"

"Universe 7 will be finished!"

"Do you have any last words you'd like to say?" The Bio-Android questioned, his arms unfolded to his sides as his eyes closed. "They better be important if you threaten your existences by challenging us."

"Are you deaf?" The pug-faced enforcer questioned incredulously. "We're here to ki-LK!"

It was quicker than any of them expected it. Despite being numbered in the hundreds not a single one of them seemed to pose any significant threat. When Cell unleashed a piercing kikoha, penetrating his shoulder out the other side in a blaze of red outlined white. His eyes seemed to look glazed, then roll back as blood and spit spew out of his bestial maw; right before he plunged into the lake surrounding Baba's house.

"Boss!" The thugs all but said in unison.

"Well, if you want my personal opinion, 'we're here to ki-lk,' isn't the most dignified last words to die on," Cell lightly chided with a slew of dark chuckles. As he lowered his steaming finger, he'd place his hands on his hips, glaring at the now visibly less confident host of masked assassins in the sky above him. "Still, you might _do_ something to get the blood flowing."

"We don't have time for this, Cell," Goku spoke hastily, urging him from behind with faint gestures away from the house. "C'mon! Let's just get back to the others and-"

"Do you think they'll just leave us be?"

At that, Goku became silent and sullen.

"They may even begin to target innocents of this planet, or hold someone hostage. Truly they are a hindrance that should be eliminated," He announced, his face now facing forward as flecks of gold began to rise up from his body, tendrils of bio-luminescent blue crackling around his very being. "Trust me. It'll take a measly portion of my strength to wipe these simpletons out. Grant me this courtesy for dragging me into this glorified death match of yours, Son Goku."

He knew the peace loving Saiyan disliked needless murder, but this was a special case. These weren't helpless Earthlings or targeted Nameccians. This gaggle of goons were out to see to the destruction of an entire Universe. Even if they weren't going on a rampage like foes of his in the past, they couldn't be dealt with casually.

They needed a permanent end to them.

Pale fingers bundled up into knuckles, balled up fists clenched tightly, and the flesh upon his digits pulsed with throbbing veins. The whole of the sky darkened as his _ki_ began to rise. But unlike before where he'd let it explode outwards in a fantastic roaring inferno, a majestic gleam began to radiate from his very carapace. The bio-armor quivered, contorting in and out with systematic pulses of white peering out from the recesses. Energy flowed in a rhythmic circulation from one partition of his body to the next, soon congealing within his core, stemming from his crown.

Then, he stretched his arms upward with his hands raised to the sky, his body releasing a column of hallowed golden outlined white. A magnificent flare of light filled up the heavens, splitting the clouds and enrapturing the valley with the aurora of overwhelming power. Within the jetstream of light that the _ki_ emitted came a silhouette that was radically transforming. As the light dwindled over his person, they could see what had changed to his body as much as the quality of his newfound strength.

The flesh on his body shifted from a chalk-white to a stark purple, the emerald of his body's carapace becoming a glowing gold that shined in between amethyst dots that enamored every iota of his being. His musculature structure bulked, eyes shining of a bright red and his face became a mask of violet. An aura of soft Sun colored flames thrummed with an ominous pulse, the whole of the surrounding body of watering shining in reflection of his form's new transformation.

"Waitaminute-!" Goku cried out, looking as surprised as he was terrified of this sudden change in power that he didn't even feel from before. "That's...that's Freeza's form!"

"That was quicker than expected," Cell intoned, turning to look over his shoulder to address the earth raised Saiyan casually; given the rest of the masked assassins were just as shocked to witness it, he had no qualm with explaining himself. "Yes, this is the form that Freeza used when he resurrected himself. Though I didn't know the name I expect he made it really simple for you to understand. So, to err on the side of caution I chose it for its design as much as its representation. Just call me, Golden Cell."

"It doesn't matter what you call yourself!" One of the assassins cried out, creating a pair of violet orbs of _ki_ in each hand. Compressing it together he fired it forward, unleashing a hail of piercing lances of purple light, each one aiming to pierce his body. "I'll tear you apart with my killer move!"

Goku would see the man who had a striking similar appearance to Freeza be unmoved by the sudden hail of shredding spears. Each one that connected with his plated skin shattered upon impact, returning to flecks of dissipating particles and hitting the earth in a disturbance of earth. The dust swirled around the constant pulsing flame, undaunted by the attempt to harm him.

"So, that was supposed to slice through my _ki_ and tear my body apart?" The Perfect Being asked with a dark smile, his eyes turning to address the now petrified assassin. "Let me show you what a real killing spear is like."

Cupping his palms together, he thrust his clasped wrists together, he'd make a brief shout of, "**Makankōsappō!**" as he let loose a spiraling ring of golden-violet with a white beam at its center. The massive corkscrewing drill homed in straight for the assassin who saw the technique as instantaneous. Drilling a hole through his diminutive proportioned torso, it'd exit out of the other side and then do the unthinkable to the other assassins.

It separated into twelve spiraling copies that all snaked out towards them.

Screams filled the air as they sought their prey, swiftly catching them and slamming through their flesh like a knife to butter, cutting them down like flies. None of them even had time to plan, or even react. The slaughter was efficient as it was ruthless, with each one of them sputtering out please, begging amidst their retreat from the attacks before faint strangled gasps were made as their life was torn as much as their innards was from their flesh.

"That's it? That's all you have to offer in order to stop me?" Cell laughed out loud, his face a mix of humor and disgust as he found himself a bit insulted that he went out of his way to transform into this new state. "What a pathetic Universe you must hail from to send such wretches to be disposed of! I almost feel sorry you died so quickly. _Almost_."

"Cell!"

"Oh come now, they were going to be erased in the Tournament of Power anyways," Cell scoffed, lowering his arms to rest on his hips with a smug grin on his face. "They were going to do something to keep us occupied. Now you got to see a hint of my true capabilities and we took care of the problem. What's that saying? Two birds, one stone?"

Grimacing, Goku knew that arguing the point of rampant killing was a moot point, given he had no regard to fight in the first place due to their time table for the tournament's start. Additionally he felt a bit overwhelmed by the sudden skyrocketing of power that came from Cell. He had thought being stuck inside that tank, suspended without moving, would've inhibited his ability to increase strength in the slightest. However, just like how Freeza surprised him, Cell seemed to do something he couldn't begin to imagine him achieving.

"You should at least not waste too much energy. The tournament starts in under an hour," Goku muttered as a weak attempt of a chastisement.

"If you're worried that I'll drain myself dry on such pitiful excuses of fighters, then you don't know me well at all, Son Goku," He chided. He'd then turn to face Goku, his hands raised for emphasis as he turned his back on the floating corpses; the assassins' bodies now bobbing morbidly in the lake surrounding Baba's hut. "I won't complicate things for that simple head of yours so I'll just say I managed to find a way. Through polished observation honed from stretching by awareness to the darkest corners of the Afterlife to the highest of the Heavens and then across the Universe I could feel the insurmountable challenges you faced, and the strides of progress you've made. It wasn't until I found myself observing your battle with the revived Freeza that I had an epiphany, a belief that from seeing his own enhancement through rigorous trial and error, I too could achieve the impossible. Through careful increments of molding my own life force in the body that was given to me as a curse in that dreaded Hell of mine I managed to find a perfect balance of might and restraint, increasing my substantial abilities to the apex of perfection that you see before you."

"I'm not sure I get all that you said, but it sounds like you've been spyin' on me," Goku wryly grinned. He was pleased to see that his old rival wasn't simply decaying or forgetting how to fight, but, he couldn't help but visibly sweat at the prospect of being peeked on from beyond the realm of the dead. It was both unnerving and creepy.

"Well I wasn't finding my method of punishment all that _enlightening_ so forgive me for taking a vested interest in the Universe outside my quaint prison," The Bio-Android rolled his eyes, finding Goku's anxiousness unwarranted.

Suddenly, a tremor formed within the earth. Everything trembled as some seismic activity happened that sent the bodies within the water bouncing and cascading to the shoreline. The Turtle Schooled Saiyan took a few cautious steps back while Cell's smile deepened, and his eyes gained a sinister expression. Looking over his shoulder, the golden apex being saw the anthropomorphic leader of the assassins raised up, swathed in an eerie purple light that twisted with tendrils of black, an inky substance that appeared almost otherworldly.

Clutching the wound over his shoulder, the canine enemy growled with blood oozing between his razor sharp teeth. With his eyes fixated with anger and desperation towards his target, his backward hand formed what looked like a swirling sphere that roiled into a black epicenter. Cell couldn't tell what kind of energy this is, and that intrigued him as much as made him cautious.

"Gehehehe," The Assassin Leader chuckled with a raspy malice that made his shrunken eyes seem almost demonic. "You won't survive this, Cell!"

"Oh, so you've heard of me?" Cell asked with an elated smile, his eyes widening enough to show joy at being known. "Then you probably know whatever you're plotting is going to be futile. But by all means, do try; _it wouldn't be much fun otherwise._"

He hesitated at his bragging. One could tell this was a one chance strategy, given this being didn't appear to have this energy by default. This was a trump card, hence why the assassins didn't turn tail and run when their leader was incapacitated earlier. It was why Cell aimed for a non-vital spot; he wanted to know if he had anything else to offer than simply speeches.

Gritting his teeth, he lifted the orb up and hurled it straight towards Cell's front. It spiraled forward, zigzagging its approach with a wildly chaotic unpredictability. As his wide-eyed descended into pins, he'd laugh as he saw it make contact with his palms-

-right before it completely stopped in midair.

Blinking, he had to see that right. Was his attack, not moving at all?

No, he could see a field of energy of a coral hue surrounding it, placing it within a telekinetic prison. It was so thin that he almost mistook it as a mirage but no, the Bio-Android had technically 'caught' his attack.

"N-No way! That's Lord Sidras Energy of Destruction!" He choked out, his throat emitting a pitch far more shrill than his bulbous body thought capable. Pointing with accusation, he tried to find out why the attack failed. "What did you do?! No mortal can stop it once its cast towards its target!"

"Ah, so this energy _is_ someone else's," Cell stated as fact, raising the crackling sphere held within his psionic barrier he formed through a variant of Freeza's own Capturing Light Shell. Though smaller and contorting in a way that allowed him to catch another foreign collection of _ki_, it still served its purpose in holding the hostile sphere of sinister dark light at bay. "I wonder though. What would happen if I hurtled this back at you?"

"EEEK!" The bipedal canine shrieked with visible terror at the insinuation, his hands raised up and waving in a panicked motion. "N-No! Please! Mercy!"

"What a curious choice of last words," The Perfect Being grinned devilishly.

Raising his arm, he'd suddenly feel his arm jerked back, a tight grip formed around his elbow. His smile disappeared and his eyes narrowed into slits to look at his flank to see Goku gripping his forearm with a tense grip, his body now wreathed in a _ki_ he couldn't sense. Red eyes stared back his own, his body seemed to thin and his hair remained at its typical angle but now a bright crimson.

"_I didn't even feel him transform! Is this that mysterious power I sensed from the orb? Or is this a different blend entirely?_"

"He's beaten, Cell. Let him run away and we can return to the others," He spoke in a calm but completely authoritative manner.

"Oh sure, he can run," Cell grinned slyly, tossing his hand out, letting the tangerine barrier streak away straight towards the trembling assassin. "But how quick can he?"

"You bast-ngh!" Goku attempted to move to halt the projectile only for him to feel a charlie horse kick to his right back leg. Crying out in pain, he winced as he saw much to his dismay as the barrier-shrouded Energy of Destruction collide straight into the flying assassin.

And then was covered in a howling void of onyx-purple that ate away at his flesh and tore through his natural defenses. His scream teared through the sky, his body decaying within seconds before the horrified Saiyan's eyes and to the Bio-Android's pleasure. The whole of his being radiated with nothing but agony as every last partition was wiped away within the shrieking orb.

Just as quickly as it was shot, it collapsed in on itself in an implosion and left an elliptical shockwave that shook the whole of the valley surrounding Baba's house.

Staring agape, Son Goku looked with a grimace towards Cell, seeing the golden sheen of his appearance bleed off in a rising shine of radiant yellow. Once the solar exterior of his form was gone, his face and hands returned to a pale white, and his body returned to its normal shape. Crossing his arms in front of his chest, the Perfect Being squared his gaze at his once hated enemy's eyes with contempt.

"Let's get one thing straight. I'm risking my neck for you and you're worried about what's morally right for me to do when the very fate of everything in this Universe depends on it. I don't know what you were expecting but every single person we're going to fight is going to die when they lose. Do not think your holier-than-thou attitude puts you on an elevated pedestal to make decisions for me. When we fight," He leaned forward, watching Goku shift from his unnaturally red form back to his Base State as his quivering anger calmed but still glared back at him defiantly. "We fight to survive. So don't get in my way, and I won't get in yours. Understand?"

"I don't like your methods, Cell, but I don't seem to have a lot of choice," Goku intoned honestly, backing away with a huff. Placing a finger between his scowling brow, he saw the Bio-Android do the same, only serving to fuel his ire. "Just make sure you don't cause trouble with the others."

"Now that's up to them, isn't it?" He quipped with a dark chuckle.

It was then at that moment, Son Goku knew, he may have gotten more with Cell than he bargained for.

* * *

**A/N**: And this is the first chapter of a few for this Mini-Series of "A Perfect Tournament"; my take in preference to having him brought back to life instead of Freeza. I mostly wrote this for myself but I definitely am keen in seeing what anyone else thinks of this. It's definitely a contentious pick with many people wishing Buu had stayed in the roster or finding someone else to replace him when he fell asleep. Freeza's placement felt wholly contrived and there was plenty of others to choose in place of the guy who *recently* tried to kill everyone. Even though Cell is a bit of a sore spot for others, they'd have no idea if Cell was able to get stronger from this hypothetical scenario so they'd go after the easier to manage of the two dead antagonists.

With that, I bid you all adieu and hope to see you in the next eventual update!


	2. A Perfect Reunion

It was wholly nightmarish.

They had been waiting for Goku to come back, pining away at his dramatic return with the dreaded Bio-Android in tow. The gathered individuals were idling and fidgeting, unable to speak to one another about the prospect of bringing in such a heinous creature back from the brink. Even the argument Gohan made of him being more manageable became dubious, as Cell wasn't the kind of person to simply lie back and be completely inept. The cruel cunning and the uncanny craftiness of his mind rivaled the smartest of them, making him more unpredictable than any of their foes they faced in the past; even Freeza had a pretty linear mindset they perhaps could've tamed.

Bulma was still busy nursing the newborn child, Bra, back home. She had tried to get Yamcha on the line when she got news from Mr. Satan's that Buu had fallen asleep but he wasn't answering. Every other fighter worth their salt was unavailable and all the gathered warriors knew it. Trunks and Goten were excluded already way before the final participant had rendered himself comatose, so going back and grabbing just one of them didn't seem like a valid option.

Then, a familiar _ki_ was felt powering up in the distance. Or rather, a host of life energies that bore the same distinct signatures of five individuals: Daimao Piccolo, King Cold, Freeza, Son Goku, and Vegeta.

"It's him!" Kuririn yelped, his eyes bugging out as his body recoiled at the feeling of him.

"That bastard!" Eighteen sneered, unable to sense her abhorrent oppressor but getting the feeling of her spine crawling with unease. Her brother, however, calmed her down when he placed a hand on her shoulder. Looking over to him, she could see a look from his eyes without saying a word that he wished for her to relax. Closing her eyes tight she inhaled and exhaled, letting herself relax. She didn't know what she'd be like if she didn't have her twin by her side.

"Something's off," Piccolo noted, his eyes narrowing at the distant horizon from where he was feeling the host of _ki_ was coming from. "I can feel Goku with him but, they're not alone."

Vegeta opened his eyes, though remained leaning against the Capsule Corp home of his.

"You don't think the other Universes are trying to sabotage us, are they?"

"They better not!" Beerus snarled at that, scaring Kuririn after his own question was made. The violet skinned feline sat upright from his picnic chair in an immediate motion. He was baring teeth and glaring at the distance, huffing aloud with indignation. "What are those idiots doing?! We only have under an hour-"

"Forty Five minutes, actually."

"-until we're all erased!" Beerus continued without skipping a beat, ignoring the muted tone of Whis correcting him.

"Waitaminute," Roshi raised a hand, stilling the panic among the whole group. Placing his wrinkled palm behind his back to join the other, he craned his neck up as if listening for something. "Do you feel that?"

They all looked at each other before joining the Turtle Hermit into following his lead. Tenshinhan was the first to notice, his closed human eyes widening with his perpetually open third orb, his face now emitting cold sweat. Kuririn shook with even more dread while Piccolo grit his teeth and Vegeta kicked off the wall of the Capsule Corp wall, turning in the direction that the others were facing.

"C-Cell's energy," Tenshinhan intoned with barely kept composure, a bead of sweat crossing his cheek and falling off his chin. "It's increasing!"

"Y-You gotta be kidding me," Kuririn took a few cautious steps backwards, his face construing into something of a nervous smile, his chuckles coming out humorlessly. "This can't be right. He's been dead for years. How is he...this strong?!"

"Whis!" Beerus barked out, turning towards the Angel with hands on his hips. "Give us a look. I want to see what's going on."

"Coming right up!~" His mentor let out a sing-song tune, summoning his staff with a twirling flourish out of thin air. Grasping the handle he clacked it on the ground, the orb hovering by the discs at its top now projecting what looked like a three-dimensional screen for everyone to behold.

There, everyone in company could see Cell, but in a familiar form that they all saw years ago adorned by Freeza. His physical shell was golden, from shins of his legs up to the rim of his crest, while all the camo-spots had turned into a similar shade of purple that his flesh now sported. With a slightly more muscular bulk, he looked to have been in the middle of charging up a move, both hands unleashing what looked like a Makankosappo.

Which lead to the slaughter of countless masked men, all scattering about in hasty retreat but inevitably falling prey to the corkscrewing drills of energy.

"Oh my," The blue-skinned Angel let out a faux exclamation of surprise. "It seems this Cell has undergone a similar transformation to Freeza did."

"Nothing's changed about him, it seems," Vegeta snorted, crossing his arms with a dubious smirk. "I took apart Freeza in that flawed form of his. Cell is just being reckless if he thinks he can transform like that without exhausting what _ki_ he has."

"It may appear to resemble it," Whis noted, cupping his chin as he peered closer at the quality of the aura that hummed around Cell's body. "Though, it seems that he's got a much less expulsion of his energy. Quite remarkable control over his energy when you look at it."

"How can you tell?" Tenshinhan asked, his own eyes not exactly seeing what the teacher of Beerus was commenting on.

"Just call this intuition," He replied with a wink. "Of course, I'd have to watch him a lot closer before I can make an appropriate judgement."

Gohan had been adamantly still as the image of Cell was brought into viewing for his eyes. His brows twitched and his otherwise neutral thin lipped expression was quivering with anger. He had to stop his hands from tightening into fists as the memories of the Bio-Android killed Trunks from the Future, and and was about to murder Vegeta after incapacitating him. The pain of his arm from taking the blast and the agony of pushing all of his power to the surface to take him down brought him anxiety he didn't count on.

Just as things seemed to have been over, the area around Goku and Cell trembled. A new figure emerged from the water, clenching a wounded shoulder while bleeding out of the mouth, bearing resemblance to one of the many anthropomorphic animal Earthlings inhabiting the planet. His own garbs made it clear that he was in service to a God of Destruction, and the eerie sensation he was giving off amidst them confirmed to Beerus and Vegeta that it was definitely Energy of Destruction he was harnessing.

Creating a ball of it, he threw it at Cell.

But, without even showing any sign of exertion, the Perfect Being swung his arm around swifter than lightning and caught it within a golden-red barrier.

"He stopped it?!" Kuririn gaped with shock, his hands clapping his head with surprise; he had figured the now golden menace was going to bite it.

Vegeta's eyes widened at the sight of it. It was an attack that he knew was just the cusp of a Hakaishin's power. But still, a single one of those had the capacity of eradicating anything, be it planet or organism, from existence. The fact that Cell could feasibly stop one of them in motion showed not only expert reaction timing but superb control over his own energy.

"_He may be stronger than Freeza ever was from back then,_" Vegeta surmised with narrowed eyes, keeping his thoughts private as his arms crossed over his chest.

Of course, the attacker had shrank in terror when Cell threatened him. For a moment, though, it looked like he was going to keep his skin when Goku transformed into a Super Saiyan God. The pair squared off for a handful of seconds before a flick of the hand sent the Capturing Light Shell encased sphere of annihilating purple light back towards its source. At this, Cell tripped up Goku, and soon the bipedal canine disciple of another Universe's Hakaishin was caught in it.

Dying screaming, he was erased from the plane of existence and many of the fighters' present had their stomachs turn. The screen soon vanished, as Whis took in this information with a look of pondering while Beerus looked a bit more satisfied that all obstacles had been removed. The two could see that it shook up most of the others to see Cell's newfound power and old cruelty hadn't been something they were wishing to see. Still, it proved as a useful asset to ensure their victory over the many other Universes that'd see their erasure and them stand victorious.

Less than a minute later, Goku and Cell teleported in their midst, now back in their normal familiar shades of black hair and orange to spotted-green.

"Took you long enough!" Beerus barked out with indignation, not wasting a second to shout at his uncouth rival.

"Haha, sorry about that," Goku laughed nervously, scratching the back of his head in reflexive response. Turning to give Cell a look, he was given one in return. For a moment their faces turned tense, and then the Turtle Schooled Saiyan patted Cell on the shoulder with a forced jovial grin on his face while Cell smiled wryly in return. "I brought back Cell, just like I said! For the next 24 hours, he'll be alive and he can help us in the Tournament of Power!"

"Yes, I feel _truly_ honored," Cell drawled out with a dry chuckle, looking at everyone surrounding him. "And it brings back such memories to see you all in one place. It warms my core to see everyone hasn't forgotten me," He drew out a glare towards Goku, who seemed to shrink under his angry eyes. "Unlike some people."

"It's hard to forget someone as horrible as you," Eighteen sneered.

"Oh, am I?" The Bio-Android inquired with a humored grin. "Let me do a head count of the tens of billions that Vegeta murdered, or the millions that Piccolo killed and terrorized. Might I bring up the ledger of Tenshinhan of his life as a Crane School trained assassin with the intent of killing Goku? In the future where Trunks came from, you and your brother were just as wicked as they come. On what grounds of morality are we judging me, exactly?"

"You-!"

"Cell," Android 17 spoke ahead of his sister, his face calm and his visage showing a stoic concentration that Eighteen forgot her sibling possessed; or this was simply the byproduct of seventeen years of him maturing on his own. "I'm not going to sing the choir of the angels anytime soon, so my beef isn't moral at all. But I think I speak on behalf of everyone here, that we all have personal issues with you. But this isn't the time for grievances to take precedent. Just make sure you keep your end of the deal and work with us."

"I guess I can live with that...for the next twenty three hours," Cell drawled out with a smarmy grin. "I'm glad to see one of my siblings isn't ruled by petulant emotion. I can only wonder the drivel that'd come for me just trying to become the Perfect Being-"

"You became Perfect but that wasn't enough for you," Kuririn spoke out, shaking visibly but still showing his own teeth as he held his ground beside his wife and his brother-in-law. "You toyed with our lives as if we were play things! And then, when you survived from your own suicide bomb, you came back from revenge! You haven't even a shred of decency inside of you, even when you were given a way out!"

The Perfect Being just laughed, much to their ire. He hadn't a care of what they believed him crossing some sort of morally established line was. He did whatever he pleased because an organism like him deserved that kind of respect. It didn't matter if he followed some coded sequence in his genetics to fulfill a plan for Doctor Gero or if the sum of his parts were influencing him in ways he didn't understand. Everything was in the search of satisfying his urge to be Perfect and show everyone what that meant.

"Well, you got me," Cell shrugged with his eyes closed, a smile still splayed across his features. "I'm a twisted man. But never doubt that I came the closest to achieving what others you faced hadn't; _Absolution_."

"Glad to see your ego hasn't changed in the slightest."

The voice caught him by surprise. The Bio-Android turned with a brow raised and saw a man with black spiky locks hung backwards. They weren't as long as he remembered and his stature was actually much more developed than even Goku's. He had the same eyes but a much more defined chiseled jawline with a sneer that was all too familiar. He could scarcely believe how much time passed with how much of the old faces looked unchanged but the one person that helped solidify how long he's been dead was standing tall near the back of the crowd to his left.

"_Gohan,_" Cell intoned with a surprising amount of venom ebbing from his throat. His smile was a twisted one, eyes glistening with sparkling rubies and hands twitching at his sides. "_My how you've grown._"

"I know, right?" Goku replied, bouncing back up between the pair, placing a hand on his son's left shoulder and padding it with a beaming expression. "It's been touch and go, holdin' that balance of his. But now, I think he's finally found himself back to full strength once more!"

Gohan didn't say anything, his gaze strictly fixed at the green menace he narrowly defeated with help both beyond the grave in his father and from Vegeta's timely interference. Cell too also didn't waver, his eyes intensely locked in a visual exchange that the pair shared nothing but a palpable distaste for one another. There was a rise in temperature in the air, as if the _ki_ within them was bleeding out from the natural aggression two mortal beings had for one another. A haze cast and one could see sparks crackling as a thin miasma of heat was demonstrated between the pair of entities, enough that even the Cyborg Twins -who could not sense energy- looked a bit nervously between the pair.

Goku looked between the two with visible alarm. He tried to wave his arms out, turning less charming and more frantic, "H-Hey now! We don't have a lot of time for this! We've barely got an hour left and we need to do the stratergeez thing!"

"He's right," Beerus finally interrupted, taking a step next to Cell and gave the two warriors a thin-eyed glare. "_Knock it off you two! Gohan, tell them the plan. Cell, shut up and listen._"

It was enough that the pair had ceased all hostility and felt an undue amount of trepidation. Somewhere within the back of their minds they knew if they had let things play out, they would have been erased right then and there. While there was no exasperated look beyond dilation of eyes and flabbergasted looks on their faces, the two did as they were asked without much delay.

Gohan raised his hand, his face returning to a look of calm but harsh concentration, "I apologize, Lord Beerus. Now, as my father was saying, the strategy will revolve around the rules set down by the Grand Priest who is overseeing the event personally with Zen'ou:

"The objective is the knock the other enemy teams out of bounds from the ring we are battling on. We are forbidden from using any weapons apart from what we can use naturally from techniques. We cannot kill the enemy competitors. The Air Dance technique is disabled so we cannot use _ki_ for flight. Objects that are used to recover health and stamina is prohibited, so we cannot bring Senzu. It is recommended that all ten members of any given team uses coordination and collaborate with one another in order to bring down other opposing teams. Attacking from the Stands is prohibited, so no one should try it once we're disqualified from the ring. Should just one person remain standing on the ring, they will be the deciding victor on behalf of their Universe."

"What kind of ring are we talking about?" Cell asked, his arms crossing over his chest after hearing the extent of Gohan's explanation of the rules and guidelines. "How much space is eighty people going to work with?"

"They didn't say," Gohan spoke aloud, almost feeling dumb for not knowing an answer. Cupping his chin, he looked down at his feet while thoughtfully pondering aloud. "Though given the amount of people with varying sizes it's not unbelievable to imagine it being quite large. I'd say from one end to the other it might be around five hundred meters, give or take a few dozen."

"That makes sense," Piccolo mulled aloud not far away, earning a slight look from Cell that made him glare in return. "The Tenkaichi Budokai was what inspired this event in the first place. The standard size of those rings was something akin to fifty meters from the center out to any side. And that was able to accommodate a number of fighters all at once, let alone give plenty of space for two opponents to fight. With the Air Dance technique removed, it's unlikely they'd make the ring wholly small on its own."

"Hmm," The Bio-Android hummed with furrowed brows, looking away from Piccolo back to Gohan. "I see. Do we know how long the Tournament is going to last?"

"The Grand Priest said 100 Tacs," He began to say, earning a bewildered set of blinks from the Perfect Being. Sighing, he finished elaborating with a gesture of his hands making a four, and then an eight with his complete set of available digits. "He approximated that it'd be 48 Minutes by Earth's time."

Cell thought that, while on the surface it was a bit short in terms of average lengths tournaments had, having so many powerful combatants on a single flat plane would make things difficult to prolong over time. Truly, in the first five minutes a great deal of people will be disqualified through the virtue of how intense these battles will sent people flinging off. And without the aid of the Air Dance technique, it was more than likely more than a few will be caught off guard when flung off the side of the ring; after all, the goal was that, instead of to the death, so it may be quite a quick but dramatic spectacle.

"What's the strategy then? I don't suppose we all go back to back and hope for the best?" Cell inquired with a little bit of sarcasm, unaware exactly what the impulsive first born of Goku had in mind.

"It'd likely be prudent of us to get to the center of the ring," He proffered, placing his hands on his sides as he explained in a straightforward gravel. "Our enemies will have a harder time knocking us off if we find a defensible position to lay claim to. Ideally, we'd be the only team arriving there. But it's likely quite a few if not a lot of the other teams will try to make a dash for the center as well."

"I suppose that's a good start," Cell unwound his arms, placing them on his hips as he looked around to the rest of the gathered, sizing them up.

Kuririn, in his mind, was around the same level as Tenshinhan was. The two may have gotten a second chance to prove themselves but to him, their techniques will be more valuable than their brawn. Muten Roshi, surprisingly, looked like he had gotten a mysterious air of growth he didn't think the old sack of bones and skin could have received; add that to the eclectic plethora of skills he possesses along with much more experience than most gathered, he believed the Turtle Hermit might be one of the most valuable members of the team on veteran status alone.

Piccolo indeed was a lot stronger than when he was in the Cell Games last time he saw him. He was probably only second to Muten Roshi when it came to experience and skill alone, with his intelligence rivaling his own. He owed a lot of his own survival in his previous life to the Nameccian cells, and the insight he possessed was owed to him as well. His cyborg siblings, however, had different definitions of growth that he couldn't read and he believed their infinite energy on its own would set them leagues and bounds ahead of the competition; now whether they've gotten stronger since previously, he'll have to see.

Goku was arguably someone he obviously a lot of potential unraveled in the years he's been dead. He achieved a power that was beyond the realm of mortals -something he sensed from the one named Beerus and the girly faced tall attendant of his- but he felt confident that he was stronger than him. Vegeta held a certain smugness that belied that he had a similar level of power as well but he had no way of knowing exactly what kind of strength threshold he's reached.

But, looking at Gohan, he had an eerie sense the young man had yet to reach the apex of his boundless potential. He had thought he saw the peak of the boy's power back when he was a small bundle of muscle and rage. Now he was refined through years of ardor and he was determined to not lose what sentimental gain he achieved in his quaint life. It had hardened him and he was completely focused on the task ahead of him. It was a relief, and unnerving, just how unpredictable this son of Goku was now he was at the age of adulthood.

"I'll keep an open ear, as it were, for any additional suggestion you have," Cell intoned, keeping a thin smile as he eyed the now older killer of his. "As it seems from your demonstration that you're the elected leader of this team of ours?"

"That's right," Gohan replied evenly. "Is that a problem?"

"Not at all," The Perfect Being replied with a chuckle, closing his eyes and tilting his head in Goku's direction. "I'm just glad we have someone with somewhat of a cautious mind leading us. If we all followed Son Goku's lead, we'd likely be caught in the crossfire and most of the team will be thrown out of bounds just by the shockwaves alone."

"...he's not entirely wrong," Kuririn muttered under his breath, something that Cell and Piccolo could hear easily.

"I mean, I'm not that great leadin'," Goku admitted with an awkward scratch of his angular mane. He then paused, a challenging smile adorned his visage as he fixed a knitted glare towards Cell. "But, I know my limitations and how far to push myself against enemies. Don't you worry, I know when I'll be needed; just make sure you pull your weight, Cell."

"Oh trust me!" Cell barked out a laugh. "I'll do more than pull my weight. Just make sure you keep your little friends in line so they don't get in my way either."

"Funny," Vegeta finally spoke up, earning a dubious look from the emerald menace as he stonily stared back. "I was going to say the same."

"Glad to see you haven't lost your pointless bravado, Vegeta," He replied with a taunting grin.

"I've got more than words to back it up," The Saiyan Prince remarked, a wry smirk forming around his face as a glint of eagerness entered his cold black eyes. "I can show you firsthand, if you'd like."

"Tempting," The Bio-Android remarked, crossing his arms over his chest with an incline towards the visibly impatient Hakaishin. "But I doubt our gracious host will be endeared by a last minute sparring match."

"You damn right!" Beerus yelled with clear anger in his throat. "No in-fighting! I won't stand for it!"

"He's right," Whis announced, bringing all eyes to his otherwise tall and watchful presence. "We have less than fifteen minutes before the Tournament of Power begins. I suggest you keep your hands to yourselves and save your strength for the coming battle; it may be your last, after all."

"Well isn't that reassuring?" Cell snarked.

"I'm just being honest," The Angel shrugged with a simple smile. "You're fighting for not just yourselves but for the fate of an entire Universe. Whether you value life outside of your own, there's a larger scale to this single event compared to the previous skirmishes you've contested before this point. Steel yourselves with that in mind and be prepared for the worst outcome."

"We won't lose," Gohan affirmed with a resolute growl emitting from his throat as he raised a fist in front of him, a pale flame of ki bristling with a visible flare to his words of resolve. "I won't let anyone of our Universe get erased!"

"Let's hope you're right," The Bio-Android replied with thin eyes and a sneer towards the man. "_For my sake._"

Dialogue was halted soon after. The waiting ticked by and everyone stood ready as they were imminently awaiting their departure. Shortly minutes before, Shin and Kibito arrived via Instantaneous Movement with Elder Kaioshin. Cell couldn't help but wonder why the disparagement of power just through observation, that the Lord Creators were so lacking in intimidating presence whereas the Destroyer and his mentor radiated it without any thought placed into it. It would be laughable if it wasn't for the fact there were gods much higher on the totem pole that were deigning the fate of the entire Multiverse through a glorified sports game.

Which was fine by him; he did so love to play games that he particularly excelled at.

Once they all joined hands -much to Cell's dismay- all ten plus hosts of the team teleported. The sensation was all too similar to Cell's own acquired technique he obtained from Goku's Yardratian style of teleportation. One moment they were there, rising up by the so-called Grand Priest's connection to Whis, a celestial ball of swirling light all connecting them together. And before they knew it, the next second...

* * *

...they were at the ring.

Transported in place, they all released hold of each other, standing at a quarter of what looked like a spinning top shaped disc; an additional ring was being spun just up above the tile within relative firing distance. Surrounding them was an empty space of gaseous excess of what would've been life but possessed nothing at all. Even the artificial Sun rotating in the horizon of the ring looked to have been constructed to give some form of luminescence to the ring. Looking ahead, Cell saw an enormous pillar presided at its center, each section of the spire a drab shade of blue, cream or green -a similar pattern for the tiling for the majority of the structure's surface-. Oddly enough, not all of it was complete, with a few open gaping holes carved into specific shapes.

From what Cell could observe, it was being manipulated by three beings of a similar presence to Beerus; one was a lithe but muscular anthropomorphic fox of golden-brown fur over white-cream belly fur, another was a dwarf-sized creature of long shaggy fur with only beady unblinking eyes and a hunching over fish-lizard being with a mowhawk of orange hair. They all were in the same 'uniform', convincing Cell this was a method of uniting what was likely destructive personalities under a common theme of order.

They seemed to be using the ring as a means of a platform to stand upon and puppet the last of the spawning 'blocks' to make up the ring.

"It seems odd that the ring is under construction by the Hakaishin," Beerus noted, squinting up at the three exempt Destroyers as they steadied themselves for the last of the construction. "I thought it was the Grand Priest's job."

"Who knows?" Whis sang out, obviously being coy much to his pupil's visible chagrin.

"Hey look!" Goku pointed out, all too gleefully. "The other teams are coming in!"

Just as he spoke, Cell could see other swirling balls of light. Much to his own annoyance -something Beerus made a fuss to Whis about- the Bio-Android could see none of them were holding hands, even from a distance. It was certainly a surreal experience to witness the ten strongest -or at least, the most readily available fighters- of every Universe out on display. Some of them looked to cover a theme with more resembling a certain kind of animal. Others looked to be geared towards being mechanical in nature. There was even an entire team that was akin to a menagerie of wild looking animals that looked to have nothing in common other than being wildly different from each other.

To his own surprise, there was a group that had its own Freeza-look-alike. Though with shades of blue and grey, he resembled the icy tyrant of his own biological make-up in an almost mirror manner. Apart from that, he was surrounded by a collaboration of particularly strange figures. One was a giant machine that looked more tea kettle than robot, another being a rotund but tall plush bear and a red skinned, black cloaked and bespectacled warthog looking creature. Familiar sights included a pair of Nameccians and a trio of individuals who looked remarkably indicative to Saiyans. The only one he couldn't extrapolate a parallel was the man of dark grey and violet tones, standing with an air of mystique and calm; he was one Cell made a mental note to not approach lightly.

But, it wasn't just the appearances of all of these creatures that stirred up Cell's blood. There was an ominous energy in the air, one that stirred up the very confines of the substance deprived realm of oblivion they were now fighting in. Some of it came from sheer determination. Others was through arrogance. But a great host of it was nothing short of malice and quite a bit of it was squared directly towards them.

"My-My," Cell commented with a challenging grin armed on his face. "I can feel quite a lot of bloodlust in the air. It's quite a refreshing feeling, as well as nostalgic. At last something I can relish that isn't eternal suffering that I experienced!"

"Alright you ten," Whis announced, waving at the group with what looked like a spontaneously manifested red sports flag with a golden emblazoned '7' on its front and back. "Good luck! We'll be rooting for you in the stands!"

"And you better _not_ go out gallivanting on your own!" Beerus snarled, more petulantly than threateningly, as he joined the Angel in levitation with Shin and Kibito. "I mean it, Vegeta! Cell! Especially you, Goku!"

"Haha, I'll try-"

"NOT TRY! JUST DO IT!" Beerus bellowed.

"But I can't make a promise I don't know if I'll follow through, Lord Beerus," Goku sagged a bit in response, much to the hanging head of the violet skinned cat-man's grief.

"Welp, we're probably gonna die," Old Kaioshin muttered out.

"I-It's not as bad as it looks," Shin tried to state optimistically. "Goku is just a bit headstrong. It's not like he...let the Earth explode...or anything..."

"This doesn't bode well for us," Kibito grumbled out with sweat crawling down his crimson face.

Once they were taken off the ring, the other gods also elevated themselves to floating ring designated for their respective Universes. Given the obtuse amount of space made for them to be able to be seated, it was likely from anyone's viewing guess that it was capable of holding all eighty contestants. Above them, however, was a much more throne imbued platform that two melon-headed 'children' that he assumed was Zen'ou flanked by two pairs of identical thinly proportioned guards. Seated on their chairs, the short well kept orchestrator of the event -the Grand Priest- floated with his own power to observe the combatants all gathered below.

"Nice view they got from up there," Roshi mentioned with a hand placed above his shades. "They look mighty comfy."

"If I didn't know it any better, they look less like kings of the gods and more like pampered children," Kuririn noted with a furrowed brow.

"Don't let them hear you say that, less you get erased out of principle."

"Y-Yeah, sorry, sweetie," He replied with a sheepish tug of his gi's collar to his observant wife.

17 looked over at Cell, taking special notice of how he was scanning the environment and the competition as they were being teleported in. While he didn't show it on the outside, he was aching for an opportunity to put the Bio-Android in harm's way, if only for a small amount of personal gratification. Still, if he did so, would he be any better than the green terror that caused him and his sister all that suffering years ago?

As the raven haired cyborg suffered with conflicted interests, Tenshinhan looked away towards a noticeable discrepancy.

"Hey, is it just me," The three-eyed Crane Schooler noted with a tilt of his head in the direction of a largely emerald themed group of warriors. "Or is one of them invisible?"

"Hm?" Gohan turned his head, blinking oddly at the group. "Huh. I can barely feel it but there is someone's energy there but I can't see whoever it is. We should be on the look out for that in the future."

"Visible or not, it makes no difference to me," Vegeta scoffed with a snort. "I'll crush whatever it is."

"So long as you aim away from us," Kuririn joked with a nervous chuckle.

"That Universe's energy seems complete obscured from me," Cell announced out loud, his eyes fixed on a group of warriors gathered around three bipedal canine warriors that looked especially noteworthy. "Don't tell me they have the same power as the gods and you."

"Nah, it's just a thing they can do," Goku announced with an almost nonchalant manner, hands placed upon his hips as he nodded towards the team of warriors. "Universe 9 was one that we squared off with in the Exhibition Matches. They're pretty strong, which gets me a bit excited."

"Glad to see you keep everything in perspective," The Bio-Android remarked with a close-eyed chuckle of humor.

Just as he opened his eyes, however, he found himself agape as Goku just walked off away from the team.

"And where do you think you're going?!" Vegeta shouted incredulously.

"I just wanna catch up with the others!" Goku cried back, waving playfully back as he left them. "I'll only be a minute!"

"Tch," The Saiyan Prince clicked his tongue, turning his head with indignation while Cell looked on with curiosity.

Thanks to the Perfect Being being grafted with Piccolo's sense of hearing, he could actually tell that he was familiar with this other Universe's contestants. He greeted the man in the trench coat -Hit- and the man gave him a perceptively warm greeting despite the circumstances. The others didn't take kindly to him, more due to them having been bested by the lackadaisical Saiyan than anything real personal. The Nameccians didn't speak, nor did the pig, but the three Saiyans seemed to greet Goku with varying degrees of pleasure, nervousness and disgust.

"I swear, those Saiyans look a bit on the scrawny side," Cell joked aloud with a tilt towards Vegeta. "Are they actually any strong?"

"They better be," The Saiyan Prince spoke with a hint of vitriol and a side of frustration. "It wouldn't be fitting if they came all this way and put up a pitiful showing. A real Saiyan wouldn't give anything less than their best."

"Indeed," The emerald menace snickered.

Just then, Cell's eyes were drawn towards a swirling ball of light. The last of the Universes arrived. He didn't know which one this was, but as they arrived they struck some flamboyant poses and all wore identical costumes of red with black. The white glove and boot outfitted troops all seem to radiate a strength beyond the ordinary, and, based on his own keen senses, a few of them possessed power that dwarfed the competition's in its entirety. He could swear grey one was something more, but he couldn't place his finger on what...

Goku ran over to meet them, foolishly as he did. Cell concentrated his ki through his hearing, enhancing his awareness and extracting that the mustache rotund warrior with disproportionately large arms regarded Goku with contempt as much as respect. By the time Goku went to talk to the grey one, something happened.

First, this Jiren -that he overheard the name of- was suddenly behind Goku. He wasn't able to catch wind of his movements nor just how he could do so without disturbing the air around his comrades. But, just as he was attempting to tell the Earth raised Saiyan off, another instance of drama occurred.

The Gods of Destruction got impatient and hastened their reconstruction. The last of the material flew at frightening speeds, enough that Cell -who still didn't have a full grasp of this strange energy gods possessed- had to move aside with the others of Universe 7's team. His eyes still caught the trajectory after the fact, some of which slammed nearby and others farther away. The last of the bricks swerved around where Goku leaped up and narrowly avoided them. Jiren on the other hand simply stood there and didn't even flinch as they collided into the last of the empty spots.

"_His_ ki _sense is even greater than mine,_" Cell thought, his eyes wide and his mouth parsed open with surprise. "_It took me seventeen years of that Hell to develop my keen sense of awareness and he puts me to shame. Just what kind of freak of nature is that man?_"

As Goku returned back to their presence, the Bio-Android contemplated on what he had witnessed. The first was that Godly ki was still something out of his realm of access or sense. The second was that people who could sense Godly ki were likely beings who had it themselves or found a means apart from accessing its strange properties to perceive it. If he was going to survive this Tournament of Power, he knew that he'd have to find a way to gain this power for himself or at least sense its properties.

Otherwise he may not last as long as he initially believed.

Just as his thoughts clouded with doubt and pondering on his own personal goals, the Grand Priest finally made his presence known as all of the Universes had been gathered.

"Greetings, everyone! I hope you've all steeled yourselves for the coming Tournament of Power. A spectacle the likes of which has never before seen in all of the Multiverse. A battle royal on behalf of Eight Universes with the hope of salvation, and the prize of the Super Dragon Balls to grant the last standing team a wish of their own desire. Within 100 Tacs, represented by the gradual decline of the central pillar in front of you, the tournament will be over and the team with the most standing combatants wins. If you happen to defeat all opposing teams beforehand, victory goes to the team again!"

"Is he seriously repeating all the rules over again?" Cell snarked with incredulity. "Just get to the damn point already!"

"Just a friendly reminder," The Grand Priest continued without much pause, raising a hand with a closed-eyed smile. "If you've smuggled in weapons, poisons, healing agents or stamina rejuvenators of any kind, you will be disqualified. Killing anyone, accidental or not, results in immediate erasure. And all combatants must be sent off the stage before they're knocked out of the tournament. Did everyone get that?"

Cell was on the verge of screaming "YES!" but had somehow kept himself from shouting. He hated it when someone else was keeping him waiting. He didn't mind if he self imposed delays, as he was certainly strong willed enough to stand in place for an entire week waiting for the Cell Games started. But given he's been force fed explanation after explanation from Goku, Gohan, and even from the gods, he was getting sick of being told the rules so redundantly.

"Alright, that being said," The Grand Priest said, raising a hand with a dramatic flare. "LET THE TOURNAMENT OF POWER," he finished, dropping his hand down with a succinct thuum of force, the whole of the World of Void shaking with recognition of his authority of starting the event. "BEGIN!"

Cell couldn't help but smile. Even as a great number of combatants all rushed towards each other with anticipation of striking first, the sound of battle and warriors crying out with ferocity filled his nerves with anxious excitement. This was it! This is what a real tournament was like!

"_No matter what may happen,_" Cell thought with a teeth bared grin. "_I'm going to relish every second of this!_"

* * *

**A/N**: Hey guys! Glad that the story's gotten so much positive reception so soon after its update. In recognition of this accomplishment, I got a second chapter out in a pretty quick fashion. As much as I wanted to start the battling right away, I really wanted Cell get a chance to interact with most of Universe 7's Team. And while I had debated if Cell would talk to the others, I looked back and felt that it didn't feel in character that he'd care to talk to them. Observe and gauge them, sure, but not socialize. And now, with the Tournament of Power starting, we shall soon see just how Cell will act in Freeza's place, and behave when certain forces work against him.

See you all in the next eventual update!


	3. A Perfect Example

**Chaos.**

It was a pure, unadulterated mayhem that swathed through the tournament ring. Many teams went out of their way to ram into their opponents like players in a football game, grappling and tackling into one another. Some released a cavalcade of kikoha from their hands, casting a series of explosions that hit one another and blasted into the dense material of the floor. Explosions rocked the foundation and flashes of light became almost blinding to the average viewer.

Lord Beerus had felt his entire body seize up as his team dove forward with Gohan at the helm. Given they had yet to target anyone, it was up to their united front to seize the objective of reaching the central pillar like planned. It was the only solid landmark that they could use as a place to hold their ground, and it gave them an element of advantage early on in the game.

But they weren't going to reach it without confrontation.

A blur of motion and Gohan was head off by a familiar snout and lanky posture. It was Lavender, the second oldest brother of the Trio De Dangers. With a canine grin he inhaled deep and spewed out a noxious wave of poison that the half breed Saiyan was all too familiar with.

One that he prepared to deal with.

"HA!" The son of Goku cried out, swinging his hand out and unleashing a powerful Kiai that sent the propelling column of gas along with its owner flying back straight into the pillar's face with a palpable crack.

"Yeah! Nice hit!" Shin cried out with joy.

"It seems Son Gohan has found a way to counteract the poison, now that trick has been used once already on him," Kibito intoned with a startled expression. "I've forgotten how frightening this young man was."

"It should be no surprise," Shin said with a raised finger as he looked to his faithful aid. "He was the one who managed to master the Z Sword and had the strength to wield it with ease in a short amount of time."

"He's talented, for sure," Old Kaioshin tutted out, his arms crossing as his eyes closed. "But, he was still too arrogant. His Saiyan blood gets to his head too quickly; it's how Majin Buu bested him. Had he felt inclined to, he could have destroyed that monster without hesitation but he let it get drawn out too long."

"That may no longer be the case! Look!"

As Shin spoke, the Elder Kaioshin opened his eyes and saw that Gohan wasn't done. Unrelenting, the half Saiyan unleashed a series of kiai thrusts while leaping forward, pinning the brown haired wolf-man further into the durable pyre. Just when he was about to claw into the foundation and leap upwards, Gohan grasped his tail, yanking him down with a cracking thud.

"Get lost," He sneered, twisting around and landing a punting kick to Lavender's rump that made him howl in an arching flight across the ring. "LAVENDER!"

"Yes! Fall out!" Beerus cried out with excitement.

Above the series of enemy teams that were fighting in pitched combat, none of them seemed to even notice his sprawling flight. Panic set in as the wolf-man lost control of his own body, constantly forward flipping till he saw the edge of the arena. Eyes bulged, he screamed in a shrill way as he saw that he wouldn't reach the edge in time to halt the fall.

A streak of red closed the distance, and tackled him to the ground, the now pair just barely stopping in front of the ring, East of where Gohan was. With Bergamo joining the group, they'd soon rejoin the rest of their team, battling their way back to the pillar.

"Dammit!" Beerus exclaimed, slamming his hands against the seating hard enough to crack it. "That cheap canine bastard almost fell out!"

"But Gohan did help secure a defensive place for the rest of the team to gather," Whis intoned with an airy tone of optimism.

"Hmph, they have a long way to go before we can breathe easily," The Hakaishin muttered, his eyes squinting as the rest of Universe 7 tread up to the pillar.

The rest, except they were missing three.

"H-Hey! Where did they go?!"

"Hm?" Whis tilted his head with curiosity.

"Goku, Vegeta, and Cell!" Beerus stood upward, his eyes strafing the crowd of bodies amidst the explosions and shockwaves. "They just scattered! Those fools are going to get themselves in trouble, I just know it!"

"Oh, I know where they are."

"You do?" Beerus turned his face with confusion.

"Yes," The blue-skinned Angel smiled, pointing towards the Trio de Dangers. "Son Goku and Vegeta went to cut them off."

Just as he said, Goku approached the three and blocked them from returning to the rest of Universe 9. Vegeta whizzed behind them, causing the three wolf brothers to stand back to back, arms raised and legs spread.

"Ok, that should keep those three from getting close to the others," The violet skinned feline nodded with acknowledgement. "But it bothers me. Where's Cell?"

"Oh!" Whis exclaimed, his hand placed over his mouth in dramatic surprise.

Beerus didn't need to be told where this time. His eyes drank in as the Bio-Android weaved through the crowd in what looked like a gliding maneuver. Twirling around, he'd catch the scruffs of several fighters and hurtle them around, sending them tumbling away from their current skirmishes. Each and every one was taken off guard by someone butting in from the sidelines, a regular oddity even as far as the other Universe opponents were taken. By the time they were about to stand, they'd see the perpetrator in all seven feet -crest accounted for- of his height.

"Well then," Cell announced with a broad grin, arms crossing over his chest at the spread expressions of uncertainty, anger and dumbfound of his chosen action to engage them. "You'll do for now."

"What is he doing?!" Beerus screamed out with bulging eyes.

"It seems Cell wants to fight all of them at once," Whis stated with a neutral tone, his eyes now slanted with disapproval. "Quite a bold, reckless move."

"He's a fool!" Beerus snarled, raising his hands up to cup around his mouth as he let loose a hallowed shout. "CELL! GET BACK WITH THE OTHERS! THAT'S AN ORDER!"

The Perfect Being only paid him a glance, a frown adorned on his hair-less brow with his lips turned into a sneer. With the Hakaishin's eyes glaring wide-eyed he felt discontented to listen to his orders. He came here to fight; and fight he shall do so in his own way.

The Destroyer could see that it wasn't just the Universe 9 fighters that were attempting to get to Universe 7's team that were wrung from their fighting placements but also their respective opponents.

One fighter of Universe 3, Narirama, was an singular lens machine with half-circle head of muted dull green with the rest of his mass of metal plating strung together by elastic black extensions at each joint with dull green colored feet and claws. It was easily the largest one there. A white-bearded, blue skinned man of Universe 10 named Zircor was also there, only wearing slacks of a rusty orange with a white sash wrapped around his waist, the barefooted fighter stood on one sole while holding his other leg at an angle behind the standing one with hands clasped in a prayer stance. Nink of Universe 4, a broad jawed figure of immense muscular stature with lower teeth sticking up from his face like fangs with a shaven head save for a high-raise braided pony tail; his other features included a breastplate of an amethyst dye with a golden buckle and a single strap over one shoulder, brown braces around his forearms matching his boots with a thigh-high cloth covering his lower section.

All of the Universe 9 members were as follows: Hyssop, the deep violet skinned humanoid with icy spikes protruding from his neck and back with a hulking body; Hop, the violet haired pinkish skinned and purple furred cat-humanoid with ears erect from her head and a purple-pink tail protruding from her waist while possessing black revealing long-sleeved top and a black slack bottom fit into high heel shoes with spike bracelets wrapped around her ankles; the third was Chappil, an adamantine skinned bipedal dragonoid, with a puffy purple shouldered green jacket he was by far the most intimidating of the trio due to his defined angular appearance with jagged horns and sharp talons complementing his razor teeth.

"They all look pretty strong," Shin commented, his eyes were now drawn away from the rest of Universe 7's battles towards Cell's. "And he wants to take them all on by himself? Just how arrogant can one creature be?"

"He's reckless! He's no better than Vegeta or Goku!" Old Kaioshin huffed with arms crossed over his chest. "No one should fight on their own, let alone against so many! It's stupid!"

"Maybe," Whis noted aloud, almost too quietly for everyone to hear. "Let's see what he's up to, before condemning him, shall we?"

* * *

"Perfect," Cell uttered, watching them all shift attention from each other and now onto him. He could tell even without looking that even other combatants had drifted their gaze his way. This was how he wanted it. All eyes on him, and a chance to show what he could do while also gauging the strength of several Universe's combatants in a fell swoop. Armed with a challenging smile, he raised his hands up, beckoning the fighters with a loud shout. "Come at me, Fighters of the Multiverse! Show me why you were chosen so I may crush you to prove my perfection to the cosmos!"

The first to rush him was the machine. Blinking from its optic, it propelled itself with a shearing motion through the air as rockets blasted from its backside to ensure it'd reach him first. Twisting around in a spiraling motion with its arms outstretched, it spun like a top in an attempt to knock him back with intense velocity. The bludgeons swung closer and closer, reaching the emerald menace within seconds-

-only for it to have its momentum completely thwarted by a hand that grasped one of its outstretched claws. The hulking machine blinked with confusion, spewing out expletives that no one could understand.

"What an inferior piece of machinery you are," The Bio-Android sneered with an evil grin.

Without wasting another second, Cell tore the claw off in a messy spray of sparks and wires from where the elastic connection was made on its socket. It'd swing in retaliation, stretching its arm out to grasp him only for it to be knocked aside by his now disembodied appendage. Cell closed the distance between them, placing a pair of fingers straight toward its chest cavity.

"**MASENKO-HA!**" The green terror roared out, throttling a massive golden-coral beam of light that shredded its exterior while throttling it straight across the ring. The other warriors that it nearly got in contact with narrowly avoided it as the machine man was soon sent completely off the edge. Seconds later, he'd disappear in the void, and reappear on the stands next to the gods of Universe 3.

"Narirama of Universe 3 is out of bounds, thus is disqualified!" The Grand Priest announced with a dramatic bellow to those still contesting.

"H-He's strong!" Hop stuttered out, causing the rising Bio-Android to look at her with a smug grin. Grimacing, she took a step forward only for Hyssop and Chappil to take confident steps on either side of her.

"We can't turn our backs to someone like this," The metallic dragonoid spoke in a deep voice, his yellow eyes narrowing with caution and respect. "This one must be one of Universe 7's wild cards."

"Now you're beginning to understand," Cell proclaimed, his grin deepening and his eyes creasing into a malicious glare at the three. "I'm unlike any contender here. Drop your guard, even for an instant, and you'll be eliminated faster than you can blink. Don't take my word for it," he gestured to the sidelines, pointing to the now heavily damaged Narirama squatting and sparking on the floating stands above. "My handiwork speaks for itself."

"Is that so?"

The moment Cell had taken his eyes off the other two, was when he'd feel a mass of muscle instantly move behind him and place him into a shoulder lock. Panic seized into the Bio-Android and he was hefted off his feet by a massive hulk of flesh. Twisting his eyes around he'd get a prickling of nostalgia from the Cell Games when a certain orange haired Android had tried a similar maneuver; this time he was looking at a cheeky grinning face with a bestial jaw with beady eyes staring into his.

"Speaking of dropped guards, bug man," Nink spoke in a haughty laugh, applying a crushing pressure over the Perfect Being's body. "Try escaping from this!"

"Why you-!" Cell sneered, his eyes squinting with teeth bared, feeling the beginnings of pain inflicted from the tensile muscles intent on crushing him.

"He's caught," Hyssop burbled out, inhaling deeply before unleashing his own patented attack from his mouth. "**ICE LANCE!**"

A hail of frozen spikes flew from the behemoth's maw, flying straight towards the bound Bio-Android's body.

Gritting his teeth, Cell swelled his body up, bulking his body till it was large enough that he was no longer physically restrained by Nink. The emerald fighter struggled to hold on but failed to notice the sudden grip on his forearms that was made by hands that could now reach him. Grasping his triceps he'd be hurtled over the Android's crest, his backside taking all of the salvo of freezing spikes.

"Dammit!" Hyssop swore aloud, watching Nink flop onto the ground with his torso completely covered in ice, straight to the bone. He struggled to breathe, cold vapor spewing out of his mouth as eyes watered up with ice crusting over his eye sockets. He knew his own attacks were composed of Absolute Zero energy; if Nink died on stage, he'd be erased!

Before that could happen, Chappil heaved his own breathe and spouted a molten lance of light that struck Nink. Though he cried out in agonized pain, his breath returned as the cold energy was vaporized by the Sun-like heat of Chappil's dragonic breath.

Which left him to be hauled by the ponytail of the now normal-sized Cell, limply hanging by the Bio-Android's grasp as he weakly breathed in agony at his mercy.

"That was a nice try, but you were too slow," He stated with a sneer.

Flipping him upwards he'd snap kick the hulking brute straight upwards before leaping after him. Once he'd catch up with him, he'd twirl around and thrash a roundhouse to his back, sending him careening towards the stands with a stone-shattering impact. Landing down with the tips of his golden feet bracing against the kachi-katchin flooring before squeaking with his full weight placed against the ground.

"Next," Cell rang out with a more subdued smile on his face.

"Let's not take anymore chances," Hop suggested, raising her hands up in a cross-armed fighting posture. "We'll take him on at once!"

"Heh, I was about to suggest that," Chappil wryly grinned along his pointed snout.

"Finally, someone gets it!" The Bio-Android jeered, looking over to the only combatant who hadn't intervened, the calm guru-looking alien of blue skin and old age simply kept his composure while observing what was about to occur.

He would've said something to force him to engage, but was jerked back into the fray as Hop leaped in first. Leaning back, he was surprised when a streak of red emerged from her fingers and pulled toward his face in a curved slash. Bowing back till he was in a perfect ninety degree angle, he thrust an uppercut that that caught the feline-woman in the chin, sending her flipping backwards.

He'd follow up with a rising palm-heel thrust towards her abdomen, sending her reeling back into Chappil's incoming right arm, bracing her impact with his durable appendage. Without slowing down, he threw a punch towards the green terror, watching him dissolve amidst his attack through an Afterimage. Reappearing behind him, he'd land a kick into his back, sending the resilient adamantine dragonoid stumbling forward.

"You're a durable one-ho!" Cell commented, swishing away as Hyssop's organically chilled fist nearly caught him. Twisting around in a twirl he landed a kick into the stump of a head, watching him reel until he fell backwards. The moment he struck the floor, Cell's sharp sense of hearing gave him an indicator as the pair of warriors behind him slashed two-fold where his back would be.

Backward flipping, Cell tucked his legs up to fold beneath his chin, spinning in a winged ball away from the trio.

"HA!" Chappil howled, letting loose a column of fiery light towards where he'd certainly land.

Dropping down on the ground, Cell rose up and stuck his palm straight into the fiery breath wave sent towards him. Chappil's eyes widened, watching the Bio-Android easily hold back his Sun-Breath. It was the equivalent heat to a star and the emerald menace wasn't even moved by the attack.

Hyssop got up, growling as he spewed out a fresh wave of iced blades from his maw where Cell was holding back the constant flames that he was palming.

Weaving energy around his fingers, Cell gripped the front of the flames like fabric and pulled it in the way of the Absolute Zero spears. A blast of two extremes created a blast of vapor, expanding outward and casting a massive explosion between the four. The blaze of steam stifled Cell's vision, obscuring him as much as it did with the other three; however, as he had noticed from the start, he couldn't sense their energy in the slightest.

"_Those assassins felt the same way. They must belong to this Universe,_" He concluded, the Bio-Android narrowing his eyes as he saw vague outlines of their silhouettes. "_It's tricky, but my enhanced senses should still give me an edge. With my speed and reflexes, I can react to anything they throw at me. But I wonder...is this is truly the extent of their worth?_"

A sudden shriek of force was heard as much as seen tearing through the smokescreen. His eyes widened as the outline of crimson claws was seen barreling towards him. Side-stepping, he'd watch as the dense material of the floor was actually carved deeply, the mineral rising upward in a cloud of dust and debris. With his body now alarmed, he'd turn just in time to see a violet outline of Hop's person, now emblazoned less in an outward shine of light but more of a tightly wound bristling mantle of _ki_. Thrusting her arm to stab towards his face he'd lean deftly away, feeling his right cheek split open and spout blood from his face.

Throwing a punch towards her he'd watch as she narrowly avoided his attack, his knuckles grazing her bare abdomen while her tail thrashed around to slap it away. As if she was a living propeller she swung around with one arm over the other, slashing towards his body. Raising his arms up, he'd attempt to defend against her claws; only to see her claws dig deep grooves through his armored carapace and extract a spout of blood from his forearms.

"My claws are the sharpest in my Universe," She boasted with a feral grin. "There isn't a substance in existence I can't cut!"

Cell realized she increased her power and enhanced her claws without him being able to gauge its level. He could tell, at his current level, she was just a shy bit more dexterous than he was.

As he contemplated this, his ears picked up a sudden howling force disrupt the clawed earth and the steam that still obscured their area of the arena. Looking straight to his right he'd see a wave of frost sink deep into the kachi katchin, encrusting over it and flowing like a wave towards him. He'd see the width was too wide to simple strafe so he leaped upwards-

"Where do you think you're going?!"

Cell ignored her cackle, and could hear her leap straight after him. Much to his surprise, he wasn't alone in the air. Hanging up above him was the metallic dragonoid, just beginning to descend from his own preemptive jump that took him much higher. His chest was expanding outward, his angular body swelling as if he was engrossed by something festering on the inside. Cell realized what the could mean, and he replied with a reflexive kikoha straight towards the creature.

The blast connected, exploding violently; but the smoke past and it was revealed that little more than a scant smear of scalded surface to his scales.

"SUN ERASER BREATH!" He bellowed out, whipping his head forward and unleashing a broad blast of star-like heat straight towards

The Bio-Android could do little but gape at the incoming mass of flames and raise his arms up to defend himself. Seeing the imminent connection, Hop used her fourth appendage to curl herself out of the way mid-ascent. She'd brace her own face with her arms as the shine of the Sun Eraser Breath collided straight into the rising Cell's front.

Impacting with the force of a Solar Flare, the heat of the blast sent him careening back down towards the icy floor. His winged back smashed into the brittle earth, smashing the otherwise near unbreakable mineral with a massive plume of smoke and steam from the blast. The brittle substance melted, becoming a pool of magma within, while the surrounding area dissolved into a cloud of vapor and smoke once more.

"I think we may have overdone it," Hop spoke in concern, realizing that while the hole was deep, didn't nearly go to the bottom. Wafting heat that rose up melted the surrounding Absolute Zero floor, gingerly making walking around it a bit difficult. She leaned her head towards the melted sludge of minerals that was kachi katchin, wincing at the prospect of the enemy combatant melting inside. "I think he's going to die."

"I doubt that he's dead," Chappil announced, dropping to the floor at long last with a metallic thud. "Even though he was overwhelmed, he easily resisted my Sun Breath with just one hand. Even though I pride my own abilities, and I compliment Hyssop's living ice age powers, this one makes me feel...uneasy."

"Hey, Hyssop?" Hop turned her head around to address the now standing lump of organic frozen matter. Thumbing the sludge of bubbling magma, she insisted aloud. "How about you freeze this and I can cut a piece large enough for Chappil to lift? If he's not dead, I doubt he' sit still for much longer."

That feeling of wrongness suddenly seized inside of the dragonoid. Mere moments later Hop also felt it, along with the lumbering Hyssop. All three shakily turned towards the magma, watching it undulate up and down. The ground quaked beneath their feet, trembling that reached far and wide as all fighters could feel an instant raise of battle power.

"I-It can't be-!"

"Get back!" Chappil bellowed out, leaping just in time with Hop as a massive plume of magma rose up with a pillar of golden light. Casting an overcasting glare of bright yellow, all three fighters saw the last remaining wisps of temperature extreme formed mist blew away by a shrieking halo of light that crept out of the hole. An aurora of yellow ki thrummed in magnificent pulses from the emerald plated Android, his scarlet eyes gleaming and his smile a deep malicious one as he emerged from the steaming crater completely unharmed; no, less than that, his wounds on his arms and face were completely erased as well!

"Finally," Cell chuckled with a guttural laugh. "Yes, this is it! That is a fine power indeed! I'll take great pleasure in sampling it!"

"What are you smiling abou-NGH?!"

Hop was about to reply when Cell grasped her by the face, slamming her head straight into the ground beside Chappil.

The metallic dragonoid reared around, about to face him when a hand gestured towards him, encasing him in the Capturing Light Shell.

"W-What is this?!" He exclaimed, physically restrained from moving a single muscle.

"I don't need you," The Bio-Android declared menacingly. With an underhanded toss, the orb paralyzed dragonoid howled as he was sent colliding into the charging Hyssop. Unable to course correct, the pair connected and a massive explosion of forward momentum caught the two in its epicenter. A blaze of golden-coral light sent two figures sprawling over the edge, nearly taking out a rushing Basil who was still fighting Vegeta.

Both fighters fell over the edge as he deftly bent backwards to avoid it, only for Vegeta to seize the opportunity to slam a well-aimed punch straight into his bent jaw.

"Now that they're taken care of," Cell intoned with an evil grin at the concussed feline-fighter sprawled on the ground below him. "Allow me to partake in that strange energy of yours."

She couldn't even utter a retort. As her eyes winced open through the pain ringing in her skull of meeting the dense floor, she'd open her eyes as a shooting pain erupted from her lower body. Grimacing she tried to right herself up and squirm away, only to find a loss of feeling among the ragging nerves that were desolated. Looking down at her lower legs, she'd see that they were shriveled, reduced to leathery effigies of her once proud leather-bound appendages. A strange needle extracted from the second leg so quick she barely noticed the exit of the stub, bound to what looked like a brown wrinkled tail that extended of its own accord like a snake.

"N-NO! STOP!" She screamed in horror as it bent above her waist and stabbed down into her abdomen. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

"Don't raise such a ruckus," Cell shushed with a evil grin intact on his face, watching her genetic essence pump through his tail. "Ordinarily I wouldn't revert to such old habits. But as you've demonstrated, there are abilities that I've yet to grasp and your Universe has a unique evolutionary trait I desire."

Hop could hardly gape out, her upper body becoming shriveled as her eyes bulged with foam ebbing from her mouth. Extracted at the last moment, Cell bent down and grasped her by the neck, raising her leathery, sagging body to gurgling in his grip. With his tail retracted, he'd make an evil smirk as he drank in the desolated glaze formed around her eyes, tears sliding down her face.

"I would spare you from the sensation of universal erasure and make you permanently a part of me. However, I'll just have to take your energy and hope I can extract something over the course of this tournament," He announced with a depraved smile on his face. "Oh well~"

With a casual toss, the formerly voluptuous feline fighter was thrown like a rag doll straight off the edge.

Up above, his eyes drew towards the spot where she was deposited.

"H-Hop! What did he do to you?!" Sidra sputtered out as the limp, barely breathing body was lying strewn across the stand. The other two crowded over with visible concern, much to Cell's depraved amusement while Rou looked angrily at him and then over to the Grand Priest.

"That's against the rules, right?! He practically killed his opponent!" The Kaioshin exclaimed with a shrill exasperation.

As he said this, the Angel standing behind them sighed. With a roll of his eyes he leaned his scepter over the girl's life-sucked body. A luminous glow of emerald light swathed over her and, within seconds, restored her vitality back to full vigor. She blinked, as if waking from a dream and looked down at herself, realizing she was on the stands with the others.

"Hyssop, Chappil and Hop are all disqualified," The Grand Priest stated with a simple smile on his face. "Also for clarification, Kaioshin Rou, the method of energy extraction from Cell was a biological trait and he showed enough restraint not to kill her. Thus, he is not against the rules."

"Damn!" Rou exclaimed, sitting on the seat with teeth gritted frustration.

"T-That man...Cell...is a monster," Hop shuddered, hugging herself as Sidra tried to comfort her along with her compatriots. "It felt like my whole body was burning up on the inside. I could feel myself slipping away, _inside_ of him; it's like he was trying to take my soul along with my body!"

"_I can wager why I never heard back from my subordinates,_" The bearded Hakaishin thought to himself. Looking over at Cell, he could practically feel the eyes of a demon glaring back at him. It brought chills down his spine, and he wondered just what kind of abhorrent entity was brought back to life to fight on behalf of Universe 7.

As a newfound sense of horror, disgust, and hatred filled the stands of the more self righteous gods, even the contestants nearby found what he did to be despicable. He didn't need to look to know that he made an example of Universe 9 quite well, as to what happens when someone crosses the mighty Perfect Being. Establishing the status quo was over, and he needed to move on to new prey; the energy will take just awhile before it settles inside of him completely.

"Oh," Cell intoned, blinking with surprise as he saw that the guru-looking enemy of his was still standing perfectly erect on his one-footed posture. In fact, he had seemed to be perfectly serene, the ice that frozen the floor solid around his foot wasn't even affecting his skin. The cobalt skinned fighter opened his eyes, looking at him with a calm expression that made the Bio-Android's decadent mood turn into a bewildered one. "What are you standing there for, old man?"

"Waiting. Watching. Listening. Hearing," He spoke calmly, maneuvering his arms in deliberately slow motions away from his palms. "And now, I act."

Just in a split second, the Bio-Android's eyes dilated as he saw the outline of something ethereal strike at him. Veering away, a blur of gold struck the air, slamming what looked like an imprint of a palm on the top of the floor. Twisting about he twirled away as a secondary thrust came, followed by a second one. Each one he could sense and see within a hair of an instant, forcing him to dodge and weave around the near imperceptible attacks.

"My methods of combat are unorthodox, this I know," Zircor he enunciated, his slow movements deceptive as his aura flashed in dramatic pulses with the outline of a golden being radiating each time with a succinct action of his own will. "I am bound through the grace of her majesty. It was through meditations that I tirelessly found my place in the cosmos. Now, with my Universe in peril, I put my wisdom and skill in this method to ensure that I-"

His eyes widened as he suddenly felt a stabbing paint thrust between his shoulders, out the other side. Gawking at the searing hole in his chest he coughed out blood, his aura broken and he'd see, that Cell had managed to erect a single finger towards him. Smoking from his digit, the blue-skinned Earthling fell to his knees clinging to his wounded chest as he rasped out pained coughs.

"It was an impressive technique for sure," Cell intoned, grinning wryly as he pulled back his other fist in a cocked flex of readiness. "But you should've come with more than a single trick!"

Coiling up _ki_ around his fist he'd thrust it straight towards the man, sending the wounded man sprawling backwards in a concussive arc of air pressure. Blasting off the edge of the ring, the Bio-Android would see him now atop the stands, clinging to his chest with his head hung in shame.

"Zircor of Universe 10 is out," The Grand Priest announced.

"Forgive me, Lord Gowasu," Zircor lamented. He wasn't alone either, he was joined at his side by the other out of bounds fighters that were knocked out first minute of the tournament. Jium and Rylibeu were on either side of him, the two natural fliers being made easy targets from the get-go.

"This is upsetting!" The elephant Hakaishin bellowed out, his trunk slapping Zircor on the head while glaring angrily at Gowasu. "What kind of a pathetic excuse of fighters are we to lose this many people?! It hasn't even been three minutes in yet!"

"I-It's too early to give up hope yet," Gowasu intoned, raising his hands up, the elderly Kaioshin pointing out the vast majority of his Universe's fighters were still contesting against the others. "Look! They haven't given up, no matter the causalities! We shouldn't get angry at those who've lost. Spur on the remaining that they may have victory!"

"Yeah-yeah!" Kusu exclaimed, raising a fist up and pumping into the air. "Fight on, Universe 10! You can do it!"

"YES! YOU CAN DO IT!" Jium, Rylibeu and Zircor all joined in with their angel as they began to chant loudly from the stands.

Much to Cell's chagrin.

"Euck, now I wish I did do more damage to that old man," He muttered aloud.

Just as he was about to look for others to fight, he'd get a glimpse of the not-too-distant flash of light near the edge of the ring. The Trio de Danger was unleashing a full column of _ki_ straight towards Goku and Vegeta. The pair, for the first time from his own memory, stood side by side and unleashed a combined Kamehameha and Garlic Gun straight into the three's united blast. It clashed with a brilliant aurora, spraying outward with sparks and tendrils of bio-energy snapping at the durable flooring. Eventually the pair of Saiyans launched them off the platform, sending them careening off into the abyss and teleported onto the stands.

"Botamo, Lavender and Basil of Universe 9 are all out," The Grand Priest announced, adding to the Universe 9's total causalities of now six warriors.

"Heh, good riddance," Cell laughed, crossing his arms as he observed Goku and Vegeta split further apart, the two now attempting to find other opponents to engage on their own.

Seeking to do the same, he'd turn to the left and suddenly find himself seeing an incoming boot. Shifting his footing backwards just enough to avoid it, he'd come across a face he recognized at the beginning of the tournament.

"Cell," Cabba of Universe 6 intoned with bared teeth, his eyes glaring as he raised his fists up with determination. "I'm here to defeat you!"

"Ah, a Saiyan," Cell intoned with a mirthful laugh, placing his hands on his hips. "What a scrawny thing to be claiming that. What, do you not eat enough protein?"

"Mock me all you want," He spoke with an incensed, determined expression as blue gems glistened in place of onyx orbs. A spray of sparks lit up around his aura as it'd suddenly ignite into a swirling inferno, a deafening screech filling the air as a thrumming glow of gold flared from him. Now armed with erect golden spikes for hair, he bellowed with desperation as much as assurance in himself. "On behalf of my world, my Universe, I'll defeat you!"

"This will be fun," The Bio-Android grinned, crossing his arms forward with clawed gesture, keeping himself completely erect in anticipation. "Try not to make it too boring, kid. I've killed Super Saiyans far better than you."

Not responding with words but with action, Cabba launched himself with a dashing leap. Swinging his fist towards him, the Bio-Android would meet him in the middle, the two's knuckles casting a flash of light and a shockwave that'd shake the whole side of the arena.

Their battle had just begun!

* * *

**A/N**: A shorter chapter, but I think this helps set the tempo of the following conflicts. I'll try to add more to the next one, involving Gohan leading the defense of Team 7 while I'll roll back around to Cell fighting Cabba and maybe mention what Vegeta or Goku is up to. I had a lot of fun enhancing the otherwise downplayed qualities of the three fighters, Hyssop, Chappil and Hop. Given most of these fighters are supposedly equivalent to or rivaling our planet buster Dragon Warriors, I wanted to give them a bit more credence. Zircor's fight style is a small reference to Bhudda palm style from Kung Fu Hustle.

And now, I'll see you all in the next eventual update of a Perfect Tournament!


	4. A Perfect Match-Up

Kuririn couldn't believe it.

It had already been several minutes since the Tournament of Power began. From the moment everyone moved, he had been busy trying to keep his wits about himself and not get caught in a fight he couldn't handle. He had witnessed Gohan up ahead put a considerable amount of force when dealing with Lavender, unaware that the wolf-man's poison could've incapacitated most if not all of the team had they walked into the toxic cloud. When they had arrived, Kuririn did a double-take and panicked when he saw Vegeta, Goku and Cell all split in different directions away from the team.

"Ah it figures they'd scatter the moment they found an opportunity!" Kuririn bemoaned aloud.

"Forget them," Eighteen dismissed with a wave, her pink jumpsuit form turning to put her back to the others towards a group of fighters that charged towards them. Sorrel of Universe 9, an orange hat adorned anthropomorphic rabbit fighter wore a crimson scarf that draped down her back like a cape while a single shoulder strapped top of orange-brown hues down to a pair of baggy brown slacks with slim slippers adorned on her feet. Raising her hands up, she'd suddenly be up in her face with both feet snap kicking into her wrists with a powerful blast of air pressure.

The bald dwarf leaped backwards, hand-springing away from a series of sudden strikes aimed at him from webs thrown his way. Skidding back till he was near the base of the arena pillar, he looked up to see the grey haired crimson man with razor claws with a golden belted tunic pants of dark green down to dark brown boots. He was Oregano of Universe 9, and he grinned madly as he shot a few more balls of web towards Kuririn that formed into a broadly shaped net.

"KIENZAN!" The ex-orin monk cried out, forming a razor edged disc of energy and throwing it within haste. Cutting through the adhesive net as if it was butter, Oregano shrieked in panic and narrowly leaped out of the way as the energy disc shaved the surface of the kachi katchin flooring till it disappeared out into the void beyond.

Turning around to observe the monk, he was surprised when he was met by the dwarven fighter's image replicated in shimmering in and out around himself. He couldn't keep track of the small fighter, swinging his fists and kicks around hitting nothing but Afterimages. By the time he could ascertain his location, he'd the smaller fighter had cupped a ball of shimmering blue light by his hip. Throwing his fist out with a string of web gum up the palms, he'd laugh aloud with confidence.

"HA! Can't fire it no-"

"KAMEHAMEHA!" Kuririn howled in defiance, the threads of the web dissolving and the string eradicated along the path of a massive plume of blue energy.

"EEK!" Oregano leaped up above the smaller fighter's attack. "T-That was too close!"

But Kuririn wasn't done. Twisting his hands around the firing beam he'd guide the head of the _ki_ wave around so it'd arch up in an arc, spiraling straight towards the airborne Oregano's backside.

"W-WAIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIT!" He screamed, his body bludgeoned by the attack and slammed into the face of the kachi katchin pillar with a resounding cobalt blast of light.

Emerging from the haze of steam and smoke, he'd cough out, grimacing with visible agitation. Leaping off the pyre he opened his fangs wide and bared his claws as he forgone his special ability in favor of tackling straight for him.

"I've got you now!" He shrieked.

Just as he was about to hit Kuririn, the dwarven fighter's body shimmered away in the face of an Afterimage; only to be replaced by a three-eyed man who curled his fingers forward to hook the man's jaw and eyes. He let out a pained scream as the momentum of his own leap was turned against him, his body bowing back and the Crane Schooler twisted around to slam him into the earth with a loud bang. Without any hesitation, Tenshinhan unleashed a machine gun paced series of hooked punches, each one with precise jabs into his chest, shoulders, arms, legs and face.

"N-No fair," Oregano gurgled out, finding his body raised up by his gaping mouth.

"You were a fool to not consider we'd swap out places in battle," Tenshinhan announced, pulling back a hand with readiness. "How about you think that next time you enter a team v. team battle."

"D-Damn you...Universe...Seven-!"

"**DODON-PA!**" The three-eyed fighter bellowed, slamming his palm straight into his chest. A broad beam of golden-outlined white consumed the fighter's person, propelling him straight across the air till he catapulted over the edge; reappearing on the benches not too long afterwards.

"Universe 9's Oregano is out," The Grand Priest announced not long afterwards.

Kuririn wanted to thank him but, in the heat of the moment, he had almost forgotten himself. They were still surrounded by enemies on all sides. If they weren't careful, they could be blindsided.

Turning his gaze over to Gohan, he'd see the man was busy exchanging blows with one of Universe 9's Comfrey, an amphibious looking man with coral eyes and purple rimmed lips. The bare-chested green scaled fighter was locked evenly with the son of Goku, his red gem encrusted blue pants covered legs swinging around to catch the half Saiyan's own kicks in counters before throwing a barrage of punches. He'd be thwarted by a feinting jab and a kiai to throw him back, but he'd return with just as much vigor as before.

Looking around, he'd see a winged gargoyle with three eyes named Roselle of Team 9, the dark green demonic fighter swerving in and around his fellow Nameccian's guards and counters in a taunting fashion. Eighteen was still dealing with the quick and nimble Sorrel, Seventeen was toying with a blue-haired pink-skinned pretty boy looking Earthling by the name of Dyrasem of Universe 10, Roshi was contending with a fierce dread-haired red-skinned warrior by the name of Rubalt of Universe 10.

"Guess I'll just keep my guard up here," Kuririn announced to himself, keeping his eyes open for any hint of approaching hostile energy.

"_That won't save you, mongrel._"

All at once he felt his nerves freeze up as a familiar, haunting voice spoke behind him. Turning shakily to look over his shoulder he'd see a remarkable doppelganger appeared behind where he stood. Looming over him, the slender form of the bluish-grey skinned Final Form of Frost glared with red eyes down at the stout fighter's smaller frame.

"F-Freez-ULK!"

The ex-orin monk tried to choke out, suddenly feeling the wind thrown out of him as the con artist lizard-humanoid slammed a fist into his chest. He was lifted off the ground, spewing out blood and spit as his person rose up into the air. Even as his vision swam, he'd see in a dizzied periphery that Tenshinhan had just caught notice and was moving to intercept.

A tail swipe caught the three-eyed warrior in the chest and sent him bowling backwards in a fumbling heap.

"Goodbye," Frost whispered with a smile, grinding his knuckles that prostrated Kuririn upright and placed a swathe of crimson from his palm into his chest. Unleashing a blast wave of _ki_, the monk found himself screaming in pain and outrage as he'd be sent flying towards the outer-reaches of oblivion. Time felt as if it slowed as he was flying off towards the edge, peering through the red to see Eighteen's horrified eyes at noticing his plight too light.

"_Aw damn,_" Kuririn thought, the edge slowly passing over his throttling person. "_I don't look cool at all. Eighteen's going to be so mad at me after all our effort..._"

Suddenly, a painful jerking grasp took hold of his hand, nearly wrenching his shoulder out of socket. The heat of the _ki_ wave dissipated and he'd feel his steaming person hauled onto the flooring. Blinking with surprise, he'd look on with surprise to see Gohan's face looking down at him, an expression of relief showering over his visage.

"G-Gohan?"

"Man, I almost thought I lost you," Gohan affirmed with a smile.

"We-Weren't you fighting someone a second ago?"

"I tagged out with Piccolo," He acknowledged, turning to look over his shoulder with an immediate glare at the perpetrator. "Why does that guy...look like Freeza?"

"He's from Universe 6, their version of Freeza. I saw him awhile back, he's a real nasty liar and cheat," Kuririn spoke, grimacing as he held his chest, feeling pain stab all over him. "Man...now I kinda wish I fell out. He did a real number on me."

"Take a rest, Kuririn," Gohan ordered, his body already emitting a translucent aura of silvery white around his whole person. "I'll deal with this guy."

"S-Sure," Kuririn nodded, limping forward, regrettably in the same direction that Frost was. However, even as he was walking forward, the lizard-man didn't pay him any attention. His eyes were now fixated on Gohan, and looked cautiously around with a visible anxiousness.

"What's the matter?" He asked, now only a few feet away in a blur of movement, much to the mutant's surprise. "You picked a fight, now I'm going to give it to you."

"I-I know I'm no match for you Saiyans," He rasped out, his fearful expression turning sinister. "So I'll have to face you again when I'm more prepared."

Frost decisively moved to raise up a ball of light in his palm and strike it towards the flooring, unleashing a kikoha to cast a smokescreen so he could swiftly escape.

But his hand didn't reach the floor.

"Ngh!" The con artist flinched, his wrist caught in a vice grip as the force of a larger hand grasped his hand with an unforgiving hold. Looking up, he'd see true contempt in Gohan's eyes, but not for him, but what he resembled. Not that he'd care, he still tried to wrestle himself free before feeling his chest get crushed by a rising swing of the half Saiyan's fist.

"GET LOST!" He angrily bellowed to Frost, sending him careening away towards the other side of the ring.

Much to his surprise, he'd see a massive yellow shape of Botamo get thrown upwards by Magetta, absorbing the high velocity momentum of the mutant's body. Falling to the earth, the team strategically withdrew from their side of the ring and engaged battle with other teams on the other half of the arena. Gritting his teeth, Gohan powered down and returned to his team's placement. Upon his return, he'd see Sorrel was knocked away by Eighteen, Roselle was also ringed out, 17 pulverized Dyrasem and hauled him away. Piccolo was just done kicking out Comfrey but the fighter retreated along with Rubalt from their respective, seemingly inevitable defeats by their own opponents.

Then, the agonized screams sounded pricked Gohan's ears and brought him to look across the arena to witness Cell draining Hop's energy. He had felt incensed, infuriated and enraged. He had tensely turned to confront the Bio-Android but was stopped by Piccolo, the Nameccian earning a teeth-bared look of indignation at him.

"Cell's not going to kill her."

"How do you know that?!" Gohan cried out.

"Because," He pointed, Gohan turning to see the grisly sight of the barely living Hop raised up by Cell's hand and then tossed over the edge. "Cell knows his only chance of living a second life, is if he plays by the rules. This isn't his Cell Games; whether he likes it or not, he'll have to settle for what counts as passing by technicality."

Gritting his teeth, Gohan's rage subsided, though it didn't disappear entirely. He was beginning to believe it was a mistake that they brought Cell along, and that maybe Freeza would've been more preferable. Regardless of what he thought of the horrible, deranged tyrant, he still had some code of sorts, right?

Shaking his head, he knew it wasn't the time to doubt his decision now. What's done is done, and he just hoped that for all of their sake, Cell will keep towing the line.

* * *

Cell's fist met Cabba's, and their fight began. In a flash of _ki_ and billowing air pressure, the two forced in an intense amount of power. Grinding knuckles pushed against each other, the force of which caused the kachi katchin floor beneath them to buckle.

Scarlet eyes flashed behind an aura of gold, mimicking the bright shining aurora radiating off of the Universe 6 Saiyan as his own blue eyes glared back. Smiling in contrast to his opponent's bared teeth of anger, he let out a laugh as he continued to hold off him with ease, "What's the matter? Am I that abhorrent to your eyes or did I hurt a friend of yours?"

"You tortured her!"

"What?" He inquired, raising a brow, his smile briefly dispelled as he tried to remember. Then, he grinned as he let out a bellow laugh, placing his other hand over his face as he side-stepped away from Cabba's forward moving fist. As if to add insult to injury, the staggering Super Saiyan turned in time to see a pale hand strike its back knuckles across his face. Spittle flew, his eyes bulging and his head jerked violently to the side as he was sent careening away in a tumbling heap.

"I'm sorry," Cell feigned, placing his hands on his hips as his aura dispersed, now facing the thrumming glow of Cabba's prone form. "I was hoping you weren't the type, kid. But it turns out you're just as sanctimonious as the last boy I had to teach a lesson."

Pushing himself up to his feet, he spat blood, turning to glare angrily at the Bio-Android, "Don't look down on me, monster!"

"Monster, yes," Cell gleefully proclaimed, waving his arms out around, his eyes scanning up the wary and condemning stares of all the gods on the floating stands. "I am the most terrifying monster to exist in the Multiverse! There isn't a creature in all the cosmos like me. Why, you may ask? It's really elementary, my young Saiyan friend."

Snarling, Cabba throttled himself towards the Bio-Android, throwing a mighty fist that unleashed a powerful pressure wave that struck the air in a tumbling wind that struck some of the opposite standing contestants in the distance. What he didn't expect to hit, however, was the phasing Afterimage, still gloating upwards and vanishing before his eyes.

"It's because," Cell spoke to his right, his periphery allowing his dilating right eye to see a raised elbow. Falling like a guillotine, the angled shape of an exoskeleton reinforced joint crashed into his bent back. Even as the blow knocked him forward with a stabbing pain he'd feel his breath stolen with a pincer move of a sudden knee slamming into his upper torso. To the average onlooker, it'd appear as if he did both moves simultaneously.

Cabba's eyes whitened with mouth agape, unable to process Cell's following words, "**I'm Perfect!**"

The aura died down as the Team 6 Saiyan fell flat onto his face. Seconds later, he'd begin to rasp out for air, coughing in between laborious inhales and exhales. Hands trembled, balling into fists and legs sliding against the floor to struggle to kneel up at an angle.

"That's the spirit, kid," The Perfect Being beckoned, his hands now back on his hips as he looked down on the Super Saiyan with a sly grin on his face. "It'd hardly be a fight if you didn't release all of your power."

"You...disgust me," Cabba spat, both in word and blood onto the flooring.

"Yes, that's the way!" He encouraged, pulling back a yellow boot and throwing it heavily into the thin Saiyan's side. A loud crunch was heard and he'd let out a yell of pain as he'd be sent in a sideways spin. Instantly appearing on the other side, the Bio-Android slammed a fist straight into the spinning head, slamming his left jaw into the floor through the other side of his knuckles. "Get angry! Let me see that power rise!"

Cabba's head spun, his consciousness threatening to creep into the shadows that were filling the edges of his vision. Rising up with blood soaking his teeth, he'd throw a punch that whiffed, hitting nothing but air. Turning around he'd miss again, throwing them more and more erratically even as his ears rang.

"C'mon!" He vaguely heard, a chalk white fist slamming into his gut to lift him into the air. "Hate me! Get furious! Fight back!"

A follow-up fist slammed into his leaning face, causing his vision to go dark for a split second and his sense of direction pinwheel. Orienting himself with the ground once more, he felt an overwhelming pain encroach around the center of his visage. Slowly blinking eyes painfully forced open, realizing that it was bent in and around, a crooked look that indicated its broken state.

"_M-Master Vegeta..._" He thought, grimacing as he tried to will strength, finding pain spasm across his spine and chest. Everything was beginning to hurt. His skull throbbed with a constant force from the inside, the concussion he received becoming more apparent the longer he tried to keep focus.

"_Caulifla...Kale. Everyone,_" The Saiyan despaired, hearing familiar squeaking footsteps encroach, his scalp yanked on forcibly. "_I'm letting...them all down. What can I...do against something...like this?_"

"If you can't fight back, then I'll have to dispose of you," Cell sighed, raising up the scrawny looking Super Saiyan, his face now covered in streaks of blood with an especially messy splotch around his destroyed nose. With his costume stained, torn and plating bent, the Bio-Android chuckled with dark humor. He was disappointed, sure, but at least he got to beat a Saiyan around; that's always a good time to have.

The faint sight of Cell's fist was seen cocked back by, spinning in circles in front of the golden tressed man. Coughing, his eyes was beginning to close. He was almost out of strength. What use was it to keep fighting now?

"_I swear it, Master Vegeta. I'll train to get just as strong as you!_"

"_Wrong! That's not good enough!_"

"_B-But I-_"

"_Surpass me! And when you have, reach higher than the gods. That's what it means to walk the path of a Saiyan, boy._"

"Good night!" Cell cackled, throwing his fist straight towards the bloodied face of his captive.

A loud pop was heard as flesh met flesh. The air ruptured and billowed outwards, electrical discharge snapping in and around the vicinity of the two fighters. The stirring of Sun shaded luminescence began to intensify around the two.

"Everyone...is counting on me," Cabba shakily growled out, his raised palm that caught the Bio-Android's fist pushed it slowly backwards. The Perfect Being's eyes widened with surprise, the bio-energy crackling around Cabba increasing in frequency and the thrumming roar of his aura reached a fever pitch. In a throttling shriek, his body bulked up, his hair a more pronounced jagged arch and his eyes staring back at Cell the size of pins. "If I fail now...they all will certainly..._DIE!_"

The green terror felt his jaw spasm with pain, his head jerking back with the whipping uppercut of the smaller combatant.

Skidding backwards, he cupped his golden outlined chin, noticing that it was actually bruised. Chuckling he regarded the injured Super Saiyan give him a venomous glare of intense vitriol and determination. His energy came off in waves, twisting the atmosphere of the World of Void in a bristling heat. Standing on his feet, the silhouette cast by his own mantle of thrumming _ki_ gave him an air of menace beyond the rising jagged bolts of electricity his _ki_ conducted; it was enough of a look that the memory of a certain nine year old's death glare brought a chill crawling up and down his spine.

Distantly, a pair of Saiyans were battling against Universe 3 machine-men, one with a sprite shape around the waist up over her slender arms. Another was the sheepish twig-bodied Kale, the pair fighting back to back against the opposing teams. Sensing the energy spike, the two looked over to see Cabba's form amidst their own battling. It brought a spark of glee in her eyes and a worried expression on Kale's visage.

"Oh man! That's new, isn't it?!" Caulifla's eyes sparkled with acute fascination at the crackling energy flowing off Cabba with an intense ferocity felt in the air. "Ah man! I wish I could do it! I bet I could, I just have to think...real...angry around the back!"

"S-Sis, maybe we should-!"

"Hold it, I think I'm onto something!" She gritted her teeth, concentrating along the flow of _ki_ bundling up along her back. Just as she was about to feel something, a machine-man swung up and around to clip her across the head. Falling backwards onto her haunches, she growled angrily and ignited her golden aura, her body emboldened into a Super Saiyan form as she retaliated with a barrage of punches towards the swift machine-man. "Hey! I was on the verge of figuring it out, stupid piece of tin!"

More approximately around the center of battle, Cell couldn't contain his excitement.

"Now _this_ is more like it!" The Perfect Being declared with outstretched arms. "There's my fighter. I was getting worried that you wouldn't be up to snuff. However, I found that you ultimately passed. Congratulations; at least you share the tenacity of the Saiyans I know."

"I hope you're happy now," Cabba spoke in a rare lull, his voice quiet and his body moving slowly towards the Bio-Android. "Because from this point on, everything I'll do was brought on yourself. Don't say I didn't warn you."

"Oh please," He dismissed with a wave of his hand. "As if you'd actually-"

A shimmering blur of gold caught Cell's eyes.

"Ngh!" The Bio-Android winced, catching the sudden teleporting fist of his adversary. Twisting the palm around, he'd pull him close to throw a fist towards Cabba. Bending his neck, the knuckles grazed by his cheek as his eyes maintained eye contact with the green terror's. Letting himself pulled in, he'd swing an arcing leg to slam towards his head crest; narrowly caught by the emerald menace.

Unfortunately, the Perfect Being didn't account for the other leg kneeing him beneath his cocked arm. Recoiling back, he'd free up Cabba's held fist and instantly be smashed against the jaw by the opposing set of knuckles.

Retaliating, Cell twisted throttled his rising shin into his side, hearing a loud crack of his reinforced exoskeleton against his thinly armored side. Bowing with the force he'd swerve around and throw him with the force of his lower body, watching him somersault across the ring-

-only for a clawing grip to tear into the surface of the kachi katchin and swing him around in a streak that left a supersonic imprint behind him.

Cell's fist met Cabba's, soon following up with another fist, and a dozen more. The two exchanged a volley of attacks that were deflected by each other's in seconds, numbering up past the hundreds. Sparks crackled among the thunderclaps of shockwaves of force released by the pair of fighters. The dizzying display of strikes that neither gave up an inch for their respective opponents was a surprising spectacle that many would think they were dead even.

The Bio-Android's eyes widened and halted his attacks, seeing the young Saiyan disappear in a blur of Afterimage. Tracing his movement moving around behind him he'd soon lose sight of him, but his hearing and additional senses informed him he was up above. Looking up he'd see a pair of hands grab his crests, following a pair feet slam into his skull from behind.

Staggering forward, the Android thought he was going to fall and narrowly caught himself at the last second. Turning his face, he'd a charging elbow ram into his own nose, threatening to crack it from the mere impact. Following up with a whipping motion of his cocked arm, Cell bent backwards, catching the hand in time to throw a yellow booted kick into his reflexively rising forearm.

Bowing back, the Bio-Android crouched down and forward flipped in a bizarre ball shape that ended with him unfolding wit ha flying double kick into Cabba's front. The propulsion of motion instigated sent Cabba flying through several other battles, the Bio-Android pursuing with his wings outstretched, propelling himself under a throttling shunt of _ki_ from behind his soles. Reaching his target during his deceleration, he'd raise up clenched fingers to hammerfist straight into his body into the earth with a massive crack into the kachi katchin flooring.

Despite going down hard, Cabba retaliated in kind. Grasping the cracks in the durable material, he swung his feet up in a glowing arch of lightning to bludgeon the Bio-Android up towards the sky of the arena. Flipping up to his feet, he'd jump as high as he could, becoming a jagged stream of gold from the floor straight into the sky.

Overtaking the green terror in altitude, Cabba hoisted himself to turn and face his foe at a much higher incline. Cocking his left side with his elbow jutting out, his right hand held around his waist, two pairs of curled digits forming a rolling ball of amethyst outlined white light. Painting the air in a purple tinted silver halo, golden crackling energy coiled around the erratic energy; Cell's left eye looking over his shoulder dilating to a pin size as he saw the pupiless glare of Cabba holding a mass of violet energy in his palms.

"**GARLIC CANNON, FIRE!**"

The _ki_ wave, swollen in its release, was multiplied in width and mass, howling outward till it made contact with the Bio-Android. Clashing against the green plated target, a sudden resistance was met in the air, the pair suddenly contesting at an alarmingly close proximity of only several meters away. Flashes of purple-white snapped, claps of shaking air particles releasing in surges of golden ribbons of bio-energy snapping to and fro with dangerous chaotic lashes.

"I won't let you win!" Cabba sneered, his blood stained face etched into a vicious mask of rage and temerity. His strength intensified as he focused all of his strength into this attack, breathing out in a feral howl, swelling out the blast of light even broader and heavier than before. He didn't see how all eyes that looked on were amazed, proud, intimidated, annoyed or even terrified. All he saw was the opponent set before him and that he had to do whatever it took to make his master, his Saiyan comrades and his whole Universe survive.

He didn't fight because he wanted to win. He had to win!

"HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" The knife-haired Super Saiyan wailed with unrelenting fervor. He dug deep into his recesses, trying everything he could to bring up that well of power to the surface. He could already feel the blood boiling beneath his skin, his head gonging like a drum so loud he could hear it in his ears. All the ruin and pain was amplified to the point it blended with the surge of energy that was empowering him. Damaged as he was, he was not going to stop firing the technique he borrowed from Vegeta until he was assured a victory.

"You know, kid," He heard Cell speak, strangely calm despite the strain evident in his voice. "This is fun and all, but..."

He'd feel a sudden bloom of force that boggled his mind. He had thought it was strange that, ever since he transformed, he couldn't feel the Bio-Android's level of power he was producing. And then, it was revealed, like curtains drawn back to show a hole to an empty space of oblivion more endless than the world they were competing in. His eyes widened, his mouth agape and before his eyes, the ebb of his energy's flow curled around the backside of his antagonist.

With a groaning snap, it'd instantly swerve away straight into the empty gap of the ring floating near their altitude. It'd smash through the kachi katchin material with ease, causing the nearby sitting Champa to squeal pathetically and his aid look curiously at the streak of light's path. The amethyst beam lit up the distant myriad of dust clouds formed within the null dimension, soon fading away after seconds passed without it hitting anything within the empty realm.

Eyes still tracking his Garlic Cannon, he'd suddenly feel his chest explode with a snapping rising punch into his now descending torso.

"...that's not nearly enough," He finished his earlier statement, a grin intact on the Bio-Android as steam wafted off his back, his wings showing only the slightest marring of scorch marks made from the initial contact.

Grabbing him by the face, Cell wrenched him around and let gravity aid his downward spiral. Corkscrewing into the durable arena surface, he'd pile drive the Super Saiyan forcefully head first into the ground. A loud boom of smoke and debris was released, the formerly cracked surface made from earlier was now a cratered hole.

Rising up to his feet, he hauled Cabba up by the head, grinning darkly as he saw the light vanish from his eyes and his scalp resume its normal black shade.

"You truly gave it your all, didn't you?" He chuckled with bemusement. "It's amazing how much fight you can give when you have something to lose, isn't it? Ah well."

Letting him go, Cabba's mind drifted within his blissful state of unconsciousness. He'd be unaware of the vicious kick right straight that'd throw him off the ring. Even as he'd manifest safely in the ring, Champa's complaints of anguish and disappointment didn't reach his ears. All he could think of was how, in a fit of needless bravado, he had tried to defeat a perceived villain instead of beating an opponent fighting for survival.

"_I truly messed up, haven't I, Master Vegeta?_" He'd think as he lie strewn flat across the seating of the floating stands.

Shortly after, the Grand Priest declared with a raised hand and a smile of theatrical flare, "Cabba of Universe Six is out of bounds."

Cell cast a haughty grin towards the fat cat, earning a satisfying glare of indignation from the rotund feline. Rolling his arms back and forth, he felt a bit of a spasm of pain on the upper half of his back from where the Garlic Cannon made contact. Even his face, despite wounds being knitted together by Nameccian cells regenerating, had truly felt an inkling of ache from the blows that landed.

"_For what it's worth, __kid, you certainly packed a hell of a punch,"_ He thought to himself, rubbing his chin as he contemplated his next move.

"Cell!"

The Bio-Android turned at hearing his name called by the next unlucky fool to challenge him. Eyes regarded with surprise, the appearance of the figure surprising him. It was a tall muscular humanoid cyborg with hands and parts of his face exposed being deep emerald in pigment. The plating that wove around his pectoral, arms, the two horn crests on either side of his crown that covered his lower face in a bulb shape. Azure-white around his neck, exposed abdominal muscles and the ridges between his legs, pelvic region and creases of his arms. Deep cobalt boots possessed jagged protrusions, similar in texture and hue to the segments on his angled wings. Needless to say, apart from the wisteria sclera surrounding pinkish-red eyes, it looked as if Universe 3 had created a carbon copy of himself; in everything but substance.

"I am the Precho!" He announced, stretching a hand before leaning himself at an angle to the left and right, swinging around in flamboyant postures that left him jamming a fist and opposing knee up, before ending his statement with a jabbing leaning form towards him. "I have seen you feats of power and skill, finding them all to be of great impression! I shall test the modifications I've been instilled with for this Tournament of Power and see which of us is the superior cyborg!"

Cell's eyes twitched.

He had to believe this was some sort of farce, right? No one would make such a laughable excuse of an imitation at the mere prospect of it encountering him on the ring. It just felt absurd. And what was with a cyborg making poses?! Even its color scheme felt off, with no sense of flare and style; the lack of spots really drove home how little in creativity its creators lacked in creating this reject doppelganger of himself.

"You're...not serious, are you?" He inquired dryly, feeling himself on the verge of simply walking away from this bizarro copy.

"I am deadly serious!" Precho grated out, spinning on his heel in a pirouette that ended with him arrow-shape jabbing towards him. "I wish to compare my upgrades to your own biological tampering!"

Realizing most of the other prospective opponents were busy engaged with his own team or in a disadvantageous spot on the ring, he realized he had few options. Without any real idea how soon the next good fight would come, he knew now that he couldn't afford to be picky. Every fight counted, even if it didn't grant him a substantial increase in power.

Sighing, Cell rolled his neck left to right, creating a few loud pops within his spine. Feeling the last ebbs of pain vanish from his body, he'd perform a few arm stretches and leg warm-ups before deciding that he'd be ready to do this.

"Oh what the Hell?" He inquired rhetorically, grinning a bit more sinisterly. Crisscrossing his arms in a combat ready stance with clawed open fingers, his aura would reignite as he proclaimed with a malevolent edge to his next choice of words. "_I could use a good laugh._"

* * *

**A/N**: And a new chapter right away! Since I didn't want to pad out the rest of the chapter with future encounters, I thought to whet your appetite by revealing the battle between Cabba and Cell. I did give Kuririn and Gohan a bit of a scene, along with some Tenshinhan shine for additional boot. Frost isn't out for good yet, as I have plans for that jackass. And of course, on request (since I forgot about this character with how little of an impact he had on the ToP as a whole) I brought in The Precho! The bootleg!Cell that looked like a lazy artist rendition of his Perfect Form minus the spots, the face and adding a weird nose shape. It just looks tacky and tasteless, Toei really didn't know what to make of this character and he was an easy out by a combination attack from Roshi and Tenshinhan. Who knows? Maybe I'll do something with him in the next chapter; don't count on it though, lol.

I'll see you guys on the next eventual update!


	5. A Perfect Diversion

"Dammit!" Comfrey swore aloud, having just barely escaped his fight with the half Saiyan and the Nameccian. He had lunged back through several other ongoing fights. At the moment, as far as he could tell, he was the only standing member of Universe 9.

"To think the Trio De Dangers was rung out so quickly!" He swore bitterly, holding his side as he bled out of his mouth, breathing heavily around the corner of the massive pillar he was presiding on. "Damn Universe 7! If it wasn't for them, we would be-"

"_Wrong_."

Comfrey's heart skipped a bit. Chills washed over his scales when his eyes met a pair of cold, red orbs. The legendary assassin of Universe 6, Hit, was now just a meter apart from him. In his current state he knew he wouldn't put up much of a fight. It was clear that this was going to be the end of him.

"Multiverse Annihilation was inevitable," Hit spoke gravely, placing his hands into his pockets, leaning on one foot as typical of his battle stance. "The 7th Universe's proposal for a Tournament gave you a chance to survive. Unfortunately for you, your chance has run out."

"L-Like I'm going to listen to a killer like you!" Comfrey stuttered out indignantly. Turning to face him, he'd suddenly see nothing of the martial artist; then an explosion of pain struck him with a line of violet light shooting through his chest out past his spine. Gaping, his eyes whitened as he felt himself go limp and thrown off his heels straight out into oblivion.

"I'm no killer today," Hit spoke solemnly, watching his body disappear in a flicker of teleportation, transferring straight up into the stands where the congregation of Universe 9 presided. Pocketing his hand, he locked his eyes up at the group, coldly maintaining eye contact. "Today, I'm the martial artist fighting for Universe 6's survival, Hit."

"With Comfrey being out of bounds Universe 9's Team is disqualified. The Universal Erasure shall commence immediately!"

Turning his back, the resounding pause of the tournament activities was made as the Zen'ous made loud cheers. Glowing hands formed between their palms, shining outward with a palpable force beyond cosmic. When the screams of the Kaioshin and the other contestants were shrieking out, they'd be snuffed in a flash of white light.

In an instant, all life that represented the 9th Universe was completely obliterated. A chill was sent down the spines of all contestants. This was the real ramification of losing. There was no delay, no time to prepare and no final goodbyes to their homes or loved ones back in the place of origin. They were going to be wiped out instantly and without a trace left. The gods, mortals, planets and space itself was cleansed of the Multiverse; leaving only seven teams still in the Tournament of Power.

"They're all gone," Goku muttered out, his eyes wide and his body rigidly firm in place. "Every single one of them!"

He felt himself tremble at the prospect of such a damning risk. He was alright at putting his own life on the line, but this? It truly just now sunk in just how truly unprepared he was going into a Universe Erasing Tournament!

"Hey, old man!"

"_Old?_" Goku blinked, feeling himself jarred back to reality when he looked over his shoulder, seeing a pair of familiar looking Saiyan girls. "Oh, it's you two. You want to fight?"

"Yeah, that's right!" Caulifla shook her finger at him, her eyes scowling at him. "I haven't seen you go all blue! Cabba said that you and that Vegetable guy could do it!"

"Uh, yeah," The Turtle Schooler scratched his chin, staring curiously at the young woman. "What's it to you?"

"Teach me!"

"Eh?!" Goku gaped with wide black eyes.

"Teach me how to do it!" She shouted with insistence as much abrasion. Seeing that wasn't doing anything to encourage him, she grinned and gestured nonchalantly. "Oh what's wrong? You aren't afraid I'd do it so quickly, are you?"

"Nah, that's not it," The angle haired Saiyan replied, grinning with a slanted glare back at her. "I just don't think you're ready for Blue."

"What?!" Caulifla stepped forward angrily. Stopping short, she turned towards Kale, the thin girl shrinking at her sudden look towards her. "Hey, Kale! Why not transform too?"

"I...I can't...but," She fidgeted, holding one arm while looking away fearfully.

"I see you got the standard form down," Goku stated factually, bringing Caulifla's gaze back to him.

"However," Goku intoned lowly, raising his power up in a swirling vortex of golden light. The earth shook, the air shrieked and Goku's body bulked up only a bit as a massive spray of lightning showered his now vibrant raiment of power. _Ki_ overflowing in a throbbing pulse of luminosity, he then thumbed towards his own chin with proclamation. "This is the form you should be aiming for, Super Saiyan 2!"

"OH! That's the one!" She rushed up, grasping at his gi's front, shaking him with a broad smile with sparkling eyes that reminded the Turtle Schooler a lot of a hyperactive younger version of himself. "I did it once but I wasn't able to afterwards! Is it connected to the tingling feeling in the back? Is it?!"

"I don't know anythin' about that," Goku smiled honestly, his eyes closed as he brandished his pearly whites to her. "This is a form you get when you build up your rage and then, let it go all at once. My son did it first so I followed his example; I'm sure you could do it eventu-"

"Haaaaaa!" Caulifla began to yell out, her eyes shimmering with a blue gleam as the hair spiked upwards in a much more pronounced knife-like way. Streaks of electricity then followed, a cacophony of violent energies that twisted the air around her and trembled the floor beneath her feet. At the end of it, she grinned fiercely, her cerulean orbs looking back at Goku's. "So?! How's this?!"

"You're a strange one, pickin' that up so quickly," He chuckled, placing his right foot behind himself while arching his left arm up with his forefingers and thumb forming a bent hook shape. "Let's go!"

Then, they clashed, in a shower of light and arcing bio-energy. Both made a slew of fists to throw in a multitude of impacts against one another. The nimble smaller woman was dishing out attacks in a way only someone who was self taught could incur. However, the decades older martial artist was disciplined enough to take her attacks in stride, ducking and weaving while parrying her blows with his own.

When she made a sudden snap kick, he turned his head and threw a punch straight into her crisscrossed guard. Staggering back, he twisted around and landed a jumping roundhouse to her exposed abdomen, sending her sprawling his person.

"S-Sis-!"

"Back off!" Caulifla snapped, her eyes angrily cast towards her close friend and confidant with an air of frustration. "Stay out of this fight!"

"But...but I thought you could...need help-!"

"I don't need it!"

"We still fighting?" Goku arched a brow with curiosity.

"Y-Yeah, I'm coming!" The slender Super Saiyan reaffirmed, righting herself up to her feet. Ignoring Kale's outstretched hand she dashed forward in a blitz of gold and purple, her forearm clashing against Goku's. This time she began to feint him out with a few kicks before unleashing a salvo of kikoha in his face, forcing him to raise his guard. Crouching down, she'd somersault forward and then donkey kick his gut, forcing the older Super Saiyan back a few steps before she began pressuring him once more. "Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha!"

"That's more like it!" The Turtle Schooler enthusiastically applauded, his body now moving quicker and maneuvering with far less ease than before.

"I'm just getting started!" Caulifla crowed out, leaping up and spin kicking at Goku's raised guard. Consequently, she was grabbed by the heel and thrown in a spinning circle that sent her flying back. Palming the floor behind her, she'd propel in a plume of _ki_ from her palms to corkscrew dive back into Goku's raised forearm, a concussive blast of golden flashing light released from the two appendages making contact. Twisting up she'd launch a kikoha, this time met with Goku's own _ki_ blast that separated the pair in a fiery blast of orange-gold, then diving back to exchange dozens of more blows at each other's guards.

Suddenly, the air stilled, and an ominous blaze of emerald was seen.

"What-?"

"Kale?!" Caulifla inquired, her eyes widening palpably as a stream of sickly lime was rising off the thin girl's person in waves. The spectrum of light was bending in pulses, like a beating of an unseen heart, washing over the whole arena. Her ponytail rose upward as her limbs began to inflate, her abdomen bulking up with muscled definition.

"G-Goku...is taking...Sis away!" She gritted her teeth, tears flowing from her eyes that slowly lost pupils from their centers. "I-I won't...let you...take my sis away...SON GOKU!"

"W-Whoa, easy there-!" Goku raised his hands up, trying to deter her with wide eyes. "I'm not taking anyone from you-"

"SHUT UUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUP!" Kale screamed, her body overflowing with an emerald blaze of light, her _ki_ generating a typhoon of air along with the path of her inclined throat's scream. Her body inflated, muscles becoming gargantuan and figure becoming burlier till it was hulking from what she once was. The band tying her hair tore itself off as they became a halo of pointed spikes of bright green tresses, her eyes blanking into pits of empty white and her whole body increasing into a gargantuan proportion.

As Caulifla looked on with mixed feelings of awe and trepidation, Goku only saw something out of his worst nightmares. The air felt heavy, hot and constantly spouting from a steaming ball of muscular power. Inflated to the point of bursting, Kale's maw spewed out hissing vapor, her visage aiming towards him alone as she took a stomping step forward after another.

Then, she leaped out, with two words escaping her magnified lungs.

"SON GOKUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!"

* * *

Cell was intrigued.

Despite being pitted against a visual mockery of his Perfect Form, the cyborg he was contending with was anything but ordinary. It possessed no skills remotely similar to himself, but showed an odd grace and posture that allowed him to swerve around his attacks before dishing out his own counters in a succinctly efficient manner. Part of himself believed this to be the bizarre nature of whatever it was programmed to fight like, the dexterity of a dancer instilled through martial arts made him a difficult target to pin easily.

"What's the matter, Cell?" The Precho spoke in a drawl of contempt. "Surely this isn't the full extent of your body's capabilities?"

"Oh well, you got me there," The Bio-Android grinned back at his doppelganger. "I'm not wasting any energy against someone like you. I'm merely entertaining myself before the next real fight."

The words were enough to break this Precho out of his mask of stoic flamboyance.

"What's the matter? Did I hurt your feelings?" Cell jeered with a chuckle.

The Precho made a malcontent snarl, angrily glaring at the Perfect Being. He then flexed his body inward with arms crossing over his chest, his knees bent and wings splayed outward. His unseen mouth was growling, the floor beneath him shaking and the air twisting around his person. Contrasting to the numb energy signature of his brethren, the cyborg's power began to rise upward in a drastic incline, causing the Bio-Android to look on with surprised eyes.

As he continued to make sounds of guttural concentration, a transformation occurred before the emerald menace. The _ki_ contained within its core began to bristle to the surface, waves of blue beams breaking through the seams of his own green flesh changed into a fluorescent shimmering cobalt, his carapace blistering with an amethyst sheen and his eyes turned into a pair of golden orbs. All at once his body changed into a vibrant form that radiated a radiant mantle of light and deep color hues.

"BEHOLD!" He boomed out, swinging his arms around in a dramatic fashion, aiming one cocked arm back while a flat palm pointed towards Cell as his aurora of purples and blues shimmered in front of Cell. "This is my full power mode: _Magunamuōpasu_!"

"Well color me impressed," The Bio-Android replied with an amused smile. "You've got your own colored form. And unlike that tin monstrosity, you're actually a living being with _ki _with a fair amount of power to boot. That'll suit me just fine."

Just as Cell thought of powering up, something else spiked in strength. His ears didn't need to be enhanced to tell something was furious just beyond the horizon of the arena. Turning to look, the Cobalt-Precho looked with him, the pair seeing a monstrous flame of sickly bright lime flaring outward. Wave of hot air blew past them like the head of a storm, the earth cracking beneath the strain of the person's voice. Peering his eyes at the illuminated frame that towered over one of the female Saiyans, he saw it bore the clothes of the demure one he felt a strange presence about her; now her clothes were stretched over an impressive bust and bulging muscles over all four limbs and a rippling abdomen.

And Goku was rooted in place in awe at it.

Without any provocation, Kale leaped forward to grasp at the Turtle Schooler. The orange gi clad warrior leaped nimbly out of the way, twisting around to land a deft kick to the back of her head.

The impact left no injury, steam spouting out from the hot _ki_ that ebbed off the legendary being's crown. Just as Goku raised his foot to kick off her broad shoulder, his legs were caught by the larger Super Saiyan's broad palm. He'd be swung around like a club, crashing into the kachi katchin with immense force with the sound of a gong going off each time.

Crashing him into the earth several times, it wasn't until Goku's body unleashed a mass of light that Cell had never seen the Super Saiyan demonstrate. Two hands thrust towards Kale's face, unleashing a mass of golden light that was mighty enough that it brought a concussive rift that split the fabric of space within the arena's atmosphere. The elliptical explosion caused her to stagger backwards, releasing hold of him long enough for him to jump back, now adorned in a new form that was masked by his counterattack.

No longer was he in the form of Super Saiyan 2, the mimicry of his firstborn son's power that brought the Perfect Being to oblivion. Long haired mane arched from his scalp, his brows receded into his skin, giving an imposing almost feral glare of stoicism towards the berserker glaring back at him. His power was exuding with a palpable state of chaotic tendrils, producing far more energy bleed than even the previous form did.

"You should be proud," Cell heard Goku say, the Super Saiyan now declaring a far more serious intent towards his furious foe. "I don't use Super Saiyan 3 lightly; I've only had to use this form against two enemies before you."

"Hey! No fair!" Caulifla shouted from not too far away. "I want to learn that form too!"

Goku wouldn't have time to correct her.

Kale howled with rage and leaped forward, bristling with a peerless lime coated mantle of white light. Goku grimaced, leaping up to somersault past her as she aimed to tackle him in an unstoppable charge. In mid-roll he cupped his hands to the side and twisted around, dropping into a crouch, waiting for Kale to turn around and leap after him once more. Waiting until he was practically feeling her fingertips brush against his long mane, he'd disappear in a flickering motion; instantly reappearing a meter away and thrusting his palms forward with an expanding ball of blue light straight into her front.

"HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" The Super Saiyan 3 howled, his voice a quaking bellow in the air of the arena as his Kamehameha consumed the outline of Kale's person. The light sheared the surface of the kachi katchin flooring, tiles disassembling with a furious flame of azure taking it all the way to the edge of the massive Tournament of Power stage. It was almost blinding to the average spectator, as the aurora of energy that had the capacity of wiping out a galaxy was unleashed on a solitary foe.

A foe whose arm stretched through the wave of light as if it didn't exist to grasp Goku by the top of his elongated mane.

"NGH?!" The Earth raised Saiyan yelled between bared teeth, his eyes bulging wide with surprise. Wafting vapors of steam flew off her skin, her clothes untouched and the whole of her body. was still brimming with energy. She was still permeating heat and power in ridiculous quantities, to the point that she was starting turn red.

Grasping her thick arm, Goku slammed his feet into her jaw, lightning crackling from the sheer impact of his cloth-covered feet. But to his horror, it barely craned the woman's head back, her smile turning into a sinister visage of malice towards him. A whipping motion later he'd feel his face slam into the kachi katchin, now dragged along with a stomping run of Kale's person as she continued to gallop across the stage while tearing off the top layer of the arena floor with her prey. Kicking up a particular large slab she'd pull back and slam Goku's body through it, splintering the dense material into pieces in a flash of lime colored light.

Flinging him around, Kale let out a bellowing cry as she'd lift him up and then hurl him straight into the ground once more.

A loud thrumming stomp halted Goku's head first impact into the pavement. Kale's eyes widened with indignation, now sensing no energy to be attracted to but a head of red mane with a serene flame of golden-crimson wafting off his person. Releasing a baleful cry, she'd try to pull at his scalp only to be held in place by Goku's upraised grip over her wrist.

Then feel an overwhelming blow strike her abdomen, sending her skidding backwards from her opponent.

"You're an interestin' opponent," Goku addressed her, his raised pair of knuckles wafting steam as he looked over at the furious Super Saiyan. "Your power just keeps on risin' and it doesn't seem to be stoppin'," He paused, a toothy grin spread as his red browline creased inward. "You're gettin' me excited, Kale."

"SON GOKU!" Kale yelled out, her hands balling up into fists that gleamed of lime light that whined in the air. "SON! GOKU!"

"Huh?" The red-haired Saiyan God inquired with blinking eyes. "Do you not understand what I'm sayin'?"

"SON...GO...GO...KU!" She began to utter, the whole of her body undulating with muscular pressure before crackling the floor beneath her. Through sheer will of force, space warped and the ground rose up around her, levitating herself in a tower of elevated masonry. The divine infrastructure placed her nearly halfway to the massive timer tower of the stage. Rings of light bent, compressing inward over a dozen times as her power continued to swell up within her bulging body.

Nowhere to go, it released with a deafening roar.

"RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" Kale screamed out, her body unleashing hundreds of kikoha out of her body and onto the stage. Pelting the stadium with many impacts, the once flat ring began to be upheaved by dozens of explosions, each one following each other in conjunction mightier than the opening minute's cacophony of flashing blasts. Everyone was targeted, and quite a few people were sent flying in a myriad of directions.

Amidst the chaos, Cell and the Precho were caught up in the chaos of the battle. The two split apart, shimmering with swiftness and poise to veer out of the poorly aimed but numerous attacks sent their way. The Bio-Android couldn't tell because of the flashes, the roar of the furious Super Saiyan and the quaking explosions that now coated the arena.

Just as quickly as it began, it ended, the sound of Kale's feral cry and the explosions settling into a haze of mist through the smoke. Cell could still hear the rampaging Universe 6 contestant, and from the periphery of his senses, he could feel three less signatures -not as many as he expected given the chaos that was wrought- meaning some opponents were now out of bounds. Grimacing, he knew he didn't have much time till the berserker turned her sights on him, and he didn't want to waste energy when a monster like Universe 11's Jiren was still around.

"What a monster," The Precho commented his eyes having drifted away from Cell's direction. "To think Universe 6's Saiyans were so formidable. I'll have to test the limits of my power on her once I'm done with you."

"About that..."

The Amethyst-Cobalt Cyborg turned towards the Bio-Android, his eyes narrowing at his foe. A pair of hands raised up, spreading his fingers outward with the knuckles facing the Universe 3 cybernetic warrior.

"**TAIYOKEN!**"

The Precho's eyes widened, suddenly going blank as a blinding ray of light exuded from every iota of the Perfect Being. The enhanced optical organs now were seared to the retinas, leaving him dazed and confused. Luminescent blue hands raised up to wave up in a futile guard at the inevitable attack that'd come soon.

A sudden stabbing pain in his abdomen brought a sudden clarity to what just transpired. The Bio-Android had demonstrated earlier, much to everyone's shock and dismay, the ability to absorb energy through his concealed prehensile tail. Without his guard up, the Precho was ripe for the taking, and a sense of cold numbness spreading through his gut as the warmth of his own augmented life force was being churned up into the green terror.

Reaching down to grasp at it, he'd feel the strength in his arms spasm, his muscles becoming tatters and his machine reinforced innards be siphoned upon. Tears slipped out of his impaired eye ducts, the whole of his body becoming shriveled, falling to his hands and knees with weakness. By this point, a pale green had replaced his blue flesh and his amethyst carapace returned to a deep blue color. A retreating prick in his emaciated belly was felt, his head crest lifted up by Cell with a cruel laugh echoing in his ears.

"Our little bout was amusing, but nothing more than that," He intoned, grinning with a malicious mask that'd go unseen but imagined by the Universe 3 contestant. "Your energy, however, will aid me greatly in the coming battles. For that, you have my gratitude."

Barely able to choke out a response, the proud cyborg was tossed up into the air before a kikoha blasted him straight from the debris ridden area into the stands with a damning crack.

"Universe 3's The Precho is out of the ring," The Grand Priest announced not long after Cell disposed of him; following up with another announcement. "Universe 11's Vuon is also out of bounds."

"One of the Pride Troopers, eh?" Cell inquired dubiously with a thoughtful smirk. He could still sense Kale's _ki_ surging outward, still flaring out of control. If he could compare people with degrees of energy management, this female berserker had the lowest in terms of power reservation.

Just as he thought to think of taking a closer look an ominous thuum of power eclipsed her own. Leaping up out of instinct onto a tall pile of overturned kachi katchin he'd suddenly see the burly form of Kale soaring from one edge of the ring to the other. And then, in an instant, it blossomed a massive wave of power that sank her power to an underwhelming low. Trailing his eyes from the one responsible, he'd see the grey skinned figure of Jiren with his back turned on the smoking trail of Kale.

"_He took her out with minimal energy expense? Just what is that creature?!_" Cell thought with a furious pair of furrowed brows.

For a moment, Jiren turned his head and looked straight at him. It was enough that it made the Bio-Android back up, flinching backwards with hesitation at such a being would set its sights on him. Sweat permeated his flesh and after he regained his bearings, he'd see the Pride Trooper walk away, out of sight within the debris field of the arena.

"Just by glancing my way I felt an instinct to run," Cell grimaced amidst his own softly spoken words. Raising up shaking hands to stare at, he'd realize his whole body was trembling from fear. Bared teeth turned into an apprehensive smile, his eyes shaking with manic conviction as he reined in his own self doubt. "So that's it! He's the one I'll surpass in order to be the winner of this tournament!"

Laughing aloud, he finally felt someone proximate to himself to take his mind off things. Vegeta was in the midst of battling the muscular leader of Universe 10, Murichim. The pinkish skinned Earthling with an obtusely shaped skull with dotted markings similar to Kuririn's typical of a monk on his forehead, he wore a white robe around the waist that left his muscular body on display with only a quad set of golden bracers on his wrists and ankles to give him any significant flare. He was currently battling Vegeta, though the man was only in his Base form, likely due to the Saiyan Prince's pride and his own desire to save his strength.

Grinning, he used his Instantaneous Movement to bridge the gap between him and the pair within a flickering mirage.

"W-Who?!" Murichim turned, suddenly struck within his side by an exoskeleton covered shin. He'd cough out spittle with wide eyes, thrown off his feet and sent flying in a somersault away. Before he could raise up his guard, Cell reappeared to snap kick him up by the jaw straight into the air, descending instantly in a teleporting drop of his elbow crashing into his skull. By the time he fell, Cell transmissioned through space and slammed his left knee up into his back, finishing him with an over-the-head hammer fist into his chest.

"Ulk!" The leader of Team 10 spat out blood, his eyes rolling back from the pain of such overwhelming injury.

"Seriously, this is your best?" Cell grasped the warrior by the skull, raising him upward with a derisive smirk on his face. "What kind of warrior are you, coming here without an inch of real power to back you up?"

"Cell!" Vegeta cried out, hopping over with his arms dug into his sides with his gloves balled up with visible anger. "That was my opponent! Don't steal from me!"

"Really?" The Bio-Android asked with a sly smile, his eye staring defiantly back at Vegeta over his shoulder, raising his fallen foe by his bald scalp. "I thought we were _encouraged_ to use teamwork to best our enemies? Isn't that what really matters?"

"Blindsiding an opponent is hardly teamwork," The Prince rebuked with a click of his tongue.

"I can hand him back to you if you really want-"

"Forget it!" Vegeta snapped with a turn of his head, turning his back on the Bio-Android. "You spoiled my fight. Now I'll have to hunt down another person to battle."

With a flicker of super speed, Vegeta disappeared, leaving the defeated man and the Perfect Being behind.

"Tch, if you say so," Cell rolled his eyes, kicking the muscular man out of the ring with a graceful curve of his foot.

"Murichim of Universe 10 is out of bounds," The Grand Priest announced, much to the alarm of the associated Universe in the stands.

Tearing his eyes from the ruined arena, the Bio-Android could see that the 10th Universe's team had all but one contestant still in the ring. With nine out of bounds they all tensed up with despair, anguish and a trickling amount of hope. Through his own trained senses Cell could pick up Gohan was putting up a fight against someone with fairly adept energy.

Leaping from debris pile to ruined stadium flooring, the Android found a perfect perching spot to observe the battle in full. The figure was a proud man with an ovular shaped head with balding skin at the top with dread-like hair flowing behind him. He wore a sleeveless dark shirt with martial artist slacks adorned across his legs. From his own eyes he could see that he was releasing what looked to be a mirage of sorts; a feint of _ki_ that masked his physical presence while attacking his foe.

Gohan's method for solving it was actually quite simple, if not brutish. Allowing a hit to strike him while his power was flaring out, he'd endure the pain of his opponent's attacks while physically locating him through his flickering optical illusion. Each impact he received the half Saiyan returned it three fold, quickly overwhelming the proud warrior of Universe 10. The translucent aura unleashed by his longstanding foe, however, was a unique one he had never seen the boy harness before.

It felt like it was on a completely other level, but had no bristling quality of a Super Saiyan's fervor. Yet he could definitely ascertain that it possessed a similar power draw but didn't seem to inhibit his overall energy bleed like other forms did. He didn't know exactly the details of his child-like foe from his own history, only that he had touched the Afterlife during his peeking from his own personal Hell, and that it was a tremendous force back then, but it was now even higher than before.

"_I know I can't measure Goku's energy due to that strange godly_ ki _he possesses,_" Cell thought, his arms crossed as he analyzed with a frown. "_But Gohan's power level must be a lot closer to my own than I believed. Even with the energy I've stolen, it's hard to predict just how much he'll grow as this tournament continues._"

The tide of the battle finally turned into Gohan's favor when Obni lost the last of his _ki_ for feints. The son of Goku feinted with a flash of his own, causing the man to flinch, kicking back to leap into the air and prime a twinkling star of rotating azure beams. A well known chant was yelled out, the throat releasing a shrill cry along with a massive plume of power that rammed straight into the Universe 10 warrior, overwhelming him completely. Taken straight out of the ring, he'd be teleported with his head held low, synonymous with the rest of the pathetic musclebound team.

"All contestants of Universe 10 are out of bounds, leaving Team 10 disqualified," The Grand Priest intoned, dramatically swinging his arm out with a cold glare aimed at the arena beneath him. "Let their Universal Erasure commence!"

"YAAAAAAAAAAAAY!" The pair of Zen'ou called out, their hands glowing with power beyond cosmic once more.

The chilling wave of annihilating energy rippled through space and affected the fabric of reality down to the last microbe of life force. Everyone present would see the bowed heads of the defeated 10th Universe, not uttering a plea nor a whimper. They accepted their fate and within a flicker of luminous white light, they left a dejected Angel looking sorrowfully at their absence.

"_Two teams down already,_" Cell thought, his eyes drifting over the debris field once more for other contestants. "_Not counting the others, that means more than twenty people are out of bounds. I haven't heard anyone of Universe 7 is out of bounds, yet. I doubt that will last for much longer. My list of capable opponents is dwindling; should I seek out more or wait for new enemies to reveal themselves?_"

"Everyone! Pay attention!"

The Bio-Android blinked, turning to look at the tower of kachi katchin that once rose up from the rude uprooting that Kale had caused. Instead it was now used by three feminine looking figures that looked nowhere as formidable as the majority of enemies Cell had come across. They looked like they were going to do the Earthling custom of shopping rather than pick a fight; yet they audaciously proclaim their presence to everyone involved.

"I am a warrior of Universe 2," The lime-haired girl spoke, posturing with her back to most of the preceding competitors. "Brianne de Chateau!"

"Sanka ku!" A brunette followed up, placing her hands folded between her legs with one foot arched up with the bend of her body to her right.

"Su Roas!" A violet haired girl with a pair of glasses and a yellow overcoat complementing her bordering orange skirt, her raised gloved hands making a cute gesture of her own.

"We are the Fireball Kamikazes!" Brianne announced, flipping her hair and pointing to the lot of them that were just staring dumbfounded up at them. "Let love bloom, let it ring across this battlefield the song of our affection to all!"

They then proceeded to do what Cell nauseatingly believed was a transformation sequence. Unlike the raw, visceral majesty of someone's power shifting in color, shape or appearance, they padded out the air with a sickening cutesy look to everything. It almost felt like they were doing this for the second time with how rushed it was; maybe he was too lost in his thoughts that they hadn't done it before?

When they had finished, the three were now a plump shaped ballerina with pudgy blue skin and hoop-skirt; a domino masked blue haired woman with faintly blue skin and a skirt while adorning more feral features of a feline with sharp ears, teeth and a prehensile tail; the last was more of a bell-hatted goggle adorned girl with a martial arts dress of gold and purple decorum.

"What a repulsive looking set of forms," Cell sneered, folding his arms as he viewed them with wariness. "Although, they do possess formidable power. I wonder what they'll do now?"

"Let our love reach you!" Brianne -now Ribrianne- makes a cutsey gesture and begins to float into the air in an outline of a heart shape. From there, she forms what looks like a bubble of pink light, one that unleashes a horde of hearts that explode with force and gas. The smell wafts over all of the contestants, bringing a host of scents that draw an eerie compulsion to fall madly in love with the attacker. The problem was, most of the contestants either had a good way of blocking out the smell, ignored it entirely; or in Cell's case, found it utterly repulsive.

"_This stench!_" He snarled, his eyes fixed on her with a pair of fingers raised to his forehead.

"Hm?" Ribrianne blinked, noticing one of her hearts was disrupted by the distant grey one of the Pride Troopers. Jiren fixed a glare up at her, poising a gloved hand with a glowing well of bottomless _ki_ within it, colored coral-red with a center of white. "You think you can resist my love? I'll show you my p-OW!"

Ribrianne felt her whole world crash down as a pair of knuckles crashed down over her skull, slamming her straight through the energy platform of pink light and straight through the kachi katchin tower. A rattling blast of force let loose a tumultuous wind that blew away the raspberry colored gas, the film washing away into the endless void surrounding them. Popping out of the debris, Ribrianne was covered in soot and pieces of rocks all over her allegedly beautiful form; leaving Cell to land gracefully with a pair of feet squeaking upon touchdown.

"H-How dare you hit a woman from behind?!"

"I dare alright," Cell intoned, a visage of disgust and anger crossed over his face, expressing nothing but contempt towards her. Raising up a hand, he beckoned her with teeth bared, forming his pale hand into a fist. "You're the one who shouldn't have sprayed such a foul odor across my perfect nostrils! You'll pay dearly for such a loathsome attack, you fat bitch!"

"If you cannot appreciate my beautiful scent of love," Ribrianne smirked, twirling around on her toes as she postured with bulbous arms outstretched and one leg postured behind her with a broad smile on her face. Her power created a deep sherbert coated light, cast in the shape of a heart as she continued to wail aloud in her shrill, theatrical voice. "I shall give you my love in this dance, oh ugly thing! HO-HO-HO-HO-HO!"

"I'm going to enjoy shutting you up," The Perfect Being sneered, his aura igniting with a high pitched whine and casting an aurora of golden light across the wrecked section of the arena. The Bio-Android could tell she was at least significantly powerful enough to let loose a salvo of _ki _blasts that was transmuted into a hypnotic gas, showing an adept control and manipulation of her own energy. Beyond her gimmick she was likely to be fairly durable and pack a punch in return.

Regardless, he found that he'll enjoy fighting such an obnoxious parody of a character, than a caricature of his own Perfect Form.

* * *

**A/N**: Here's another update. As someone who thought Goku going Blue one too many times throughout the Tournament, I want to hold off on that transformation as long as I can. In this way, I keep truer to his character and let him gradually work his way up when he's fighting someone like Kale. I keep her overwhelmingly unaffected by his attacks but I also show that Goku has better control over his power without wasting it so frivolously.

The Precho and Cell's battle was never really going to be a thing. He was defeated through trickery -as Cell has done before- and became another good helpful energy supply. With Cell now taking on the leader of the Kamikaze Fireballs, the Bio-Android will face his toughest challenge yet. Can he bear with the 'beauty' of his opponent, or will he be at a loss against the power of 'love'?


	6. A Perfect Solution

The moment Cell entered the fray, he knew he was going to be in for a trial of his patience. This Ribrianne was the epitome of asinine flamboyance. Not only that, even her form was objectively clownish and unappealing in every word. It wouldn't have been as bothersome had it been part of the ploy, but she was so delusional that she believed she was beautiful in this new transformation. Not that he saw beauty in anything that wasn't perfect, but this was so far off the spectrum of appealing sights that he was incited by her hypnotic 'perfume'.

A crackling shriek of _ki_ countered her glittering eruption of empathic attuned energy. He stared at her with an expression of brow-knitted anger and disdain, contrasting to her smugly confident rounded smile. The pressure was a palpable one. So much so that Cell lost sight of anyone even close to his proximity of their battle. They knew from his earlier demonstrations he was not a creature to be trifled, just as Ribrianne must have been so loathsome they didn't want to cross paths with her.

A piece of rubble trickled from a slanted wall of kachi katchin, falling down towards the floor. From the Bio-Android's perspective it was moving ever-so slowly to hit the earth, his attention fixated on what method of attack he'd use to ruin his opponent. Spinning down quietly it'd touch the ground with the slightest of sounds-

-and immediately be sent flying in a flash of light. Two figures struck, one coated in a gleaming gold and the other in a bursting aurora of raspberry. Thickly endowed arms and legs swung with surprising grace towards the efficiently brutal strikes of emerald carapace limbs, their mutual appendages crashing against each other with the force of thunder. Blow after blow the two spiraled around the ground, leaping up into the air and then descending back downwards with neither one giving the other an inch to breathe.

Hundreds of impacts made in fractions of seconds, bringing out a stirring glance from the distant Universe 7 stands.

"That Ribrianne is fighting toe to toe with Cell," Shin proclaimed with wide mouth and eyed awe. "I didn't think Universe 2 had such a formidable warrior in their roster!"

"Weren't you surprised how strong Buu was despite seeing him years ago in his prime?" Kibito inquired, much to his master's visible chagrin.

"He's taking too much time," Beerus sneered, tapping a clawed finger over his opposing arm's bicep. "He should just power up to **gold** already if she's giving him a hard time!"

"Perhaps he's conserving his energy for the future?" Whis proffered, his drifting over to the distant Jiren, who had returned to being still and statuesque since his involvement against Kale from before. "After all, there are quite a few contenders arguably stronger than this Ribrianne. It's likely he wants to savor the fight while also playing it safe."

"That's paradoxical!" The Hakaishin exclaimed with bulging eyes. "How can you play it safe and also have fun?! To have fun you need to take risks! If you play it safe, you're denying yourself enjoyment! Why would anyone-"

Whis gave Beerus a raised brow look of skepticism, causing the purple feline to freeze up. The three Shinlings also looked at him questionably, making the God of Destruction grimace with visible twitching.

"Besides," Whis coughed, saving face for his student's sake as he pointed back to Cell and Ribrianne's confrontation. "I believe what we are seeing is how our Bio-Android friend does battle. Watch carefully."

Sure enough, as they watched, the Bio-Android was starting to make headway. Instead of a back and forth push, artificial being was beginning to weave around the attacks more often than parry them. The intensity of his power hadn't increased anything noticeably, so someone like Ribrianne wouldn't catch on what was going on. Cell's footwork began to make him swerve in and around her blows, responding to her graceful arches with far more angular strikes, cutting off her movements in mid-step.

And then, his fist embedded deep into her face.

"MMF?!" Ribrianne muffled out with pained surprise, her visage contorted into a comically folded shape. Huffing back, her face unfolded, revealing a bloodied nose and a teeth-bared snarl.

"Amazing," Cell remarked, his eyes still glaring back at her with his lips lowered into a thin-lipped expression of contempt. "You're far more durable than I pegged you for. So this transformation really is more than it appears to be."

"And you're quick enough to avoid my graceful moves of love!" Ribrianne commented, her eyes glaring wide-eyed at him. "How is an ugly thing like you able to match my hits of passion so skillfully?!"

"It's quite simple really," Cell intoned, a smile now adorned as his eyes twinkled with pride. "I simply have better _ki_ sense than you do."

"What does that have to do with anything?!"

"_Everything_," The Bio-Android answered with a serious stare that made the pudgy female blink wide-eyed at him. "If you can sense the energy of your opponent, you can plan how to move. If you can sense the intent of your enemy, you can counter it before it even happens. When you are able to sense energy down to the last fiber of hair twitching on someone's scalp to the expression they are going to make, then you are on the cusp of being all-knowing. The longer I fight, the more adept I'm getting at reading movements even more subtle; even your own breathing will tell me what your next move is, all because of my rigorous amount of peering into the world of the living from beyond my prison in Hell."

Beerus' eyes widened at what he was hearing. Through his own biological enhancement to detect the quietest of noises, the violet-hairless feline could tell exactly what the Bio-Android was getting at.

"Hm?" Whis made a slight sound, turning his eyes to look at his amethyst colored student. "What's the matter, Lord Beerus?"

"Nothing," He growled, his eyes narrowing at the green terror with hard eyes of speculation. "_Nothing, for now._"

Old Kaioshin stroked his chin with curiosity while Shin and Kibito were oblivious to what Cell was speaking about out of their range of hearing. From what the observing Shinlings could tell, Cell was holding a slight advantage in terms of reaction timing and reflexes. At the moment their power levels were similar enough that neither one could land a meaningful hit; that was proven when Cell's punch did little more than annoy Ribrianne.

"Cell! You are an ugly creature who feels no love for anything!" Ribrianne shouted with a spinning flare, gesturing with a smirk on her face with her blood wiped away by the rotation of her body. "And now, you shall experience what real passion for one's own Universe is like!"

Leaping up into the air, she'd perform multiple forward flips. It'd gain momentum, suddenly becoming a spinning streak of rosy colors with her blue face duplicated all through the center of the spiraling disc.

"A Maiden's Love!" She'd drop down, bouncing up and then spinning forward towards the Bio-Android with high velocity. "I am a Kamikaze Fireball!"

Cell's eyes squinted at her intense rotational movement, seeing that she had become physically shaped to be more dangerous. Waiting until she was practically right ontop of him, he'd leave an Afterimage for her to pass through, side-stepping her path altogether. As she continued onward, smashing through partitions of kachi katchin like they were paper, he'd aim a palm and unleash a salvo of kikoha at her backside.

To his surprise, the orbs of energy did little more than spark and fizzle out when touching her person.

"_It's like she's formed a barrier around her,_" The Bio-Android thought with a pointed glare.

"CHARGING! CHARGING! CHARGING EVERMORE AHEAD!" She proclaimed, unyielding as she bowled through into another battle taking place beyond his sight. His eyes blinked widely as he'd see Jimeze -a pink skin, blue-dotted Yardratian with a white collared tunic with a breastplate over his chest and a pair of red slacks with brown cloth boots- engaged battling a small blue humanoid creature with spikes in his head and shoulders with protrusions of holes on his back named Xiangca. The prior of the two flinched at seeing her rampage, disappearing in a flicker of Instantaneous Movement while the startled Xiangca was powerless to move out of the way.

Crashing into her, he let out a shrill scream as his whole body was doused in a searing wave of energy that set him aflame. Catapulted away with a lurching snap, he'd twirl around in a spin before crashing into the stands overhead.

Timely, the Grand Priest floated nearby and proclaimed with an outstretched hand, "Xiangca of Universe 4 is out of bounds, leaving him unable to keep battling."

"Grrr, how dare you let your guard down and get sideswiped like that!" The yellow-skinned mouse Hakaishin sneered with balled up fists.

"This is an acceptable result," Ribrianne declared, leaping backwards up onto a rising crop of kachi katchin slabs. Taking a posture that left floating hearts all around her, she winked at the stands and turned around to prostrate herself to the gawking Bio-Android. "After all, love is the strongest force in the Multiverse. It ties all creatures together, and gives me, along with every one of Universe 2 their ultimate strength! You, who love nothing, cannot hope to vanquish Ribrianne of the Kamikaze Fireballs!"

The Bio-Android had to restrain himself from lashing out at her. The wretched thing was formidable enough to match his less precise attacks and durable enough to either endure his pinpoint strikes to outright ignore them when coated in her energy. As much as he was remiss to admit it, the level of power he was using wasn't going to be enough to best her.

Worst still, his idled state caused him to stretch out his awareness and realize a good number of his team was not only separated, but under duress. Android 17 he could feel was battling one of the Kamikaze Fireballs while another was engaged against his twin. Goku seemed to have taken an investment against the Universe 11 Pride Troopers, his _ki_ fluctuating from that godly type to his normal type while fighting some of their best. He had similarly sensed the two Universe 6 Saiyans were fighting a great contingent of their ranks, despite being tired and running low on stamina, were putting up a good fight. Not too far away, Kuririn and Tenshinhan were dealing with a long-distance combatant while Gohan was battling something quite sturdy, Piccolo more or less evasive while Muten Roshi was fighting a number of opponents on his own. He couldn't care less what was transpiring with the Saiyan Prince, but he didn't seem to be in any danger as of yet.

"What's the matter? Has my beauty left you speechless?" Ribrianne inquired haughtily, raising a hand up to cup over her mouth mockingly. "Surely you can't lay a finger on something this perfect, yes?"

There was something in the way she said it so offhandedly that caused Cell to break on the inside.

It began with a snicker, his teeth trembling as he'd form a barely controlled smile. Then he'd begin to let loose a deep-throated laugh, his voice carrying throughout their section of the arena. With his hands clenched at his sides and his head lurched back, the Bio-Android let out a bass cackle that permeated the air with his humor at what she said along with the culminated stress of the situation.

"What are you...?" The Kamikaze Fireball leader asked with a baffled expression on her face.

"I'm sorry," Cell spoke quietly, his left hand raised to cover his eyes as his smile was still agape. "I just never believed I'd find a creature in existence that'd be so stupid, so delusional that they'd believe they are in any way _perfect_."

Dragging his hand down his face, his smile deepened while his eyes squinted back angrily at her, with veins stretched across his perfect jawline.

"You also were dead wrong," He gutturally intoned, placing his other hand over his chest with emphasis. "I love to fight. I love to taunt. I love to give people false hope only to snatch it away from them. I love to chase, to hunt down and find my quarry either put up futile resistance or ultimate submission. I love to break my enemies physically, spiritually and emotionally. I love to slaughter cretins as much as worthy adversaries. I love to bury my hand into the face of another who's asking for it. And most importantly, I love myself," He clenched his hands at his sides, squatting as if to take a stance. "_Let me show you how much!_"

From that point, Ribrianne looked on with a perplexity as Cell began to make snarling grunts and deep growls. She hadn't the faintest clue what he was up to as it dragged on for a good long minute of awkward tension between them.

When something moistly plopped onto the ground behind her, she'd shrink back and recoil on her perch with raised arms. As a second, a third, and a fourth came she let out a shrill scream of disgust. When it came out to a smooth number of nine small figures of chitinous blue and black, a good bunch of figures rose up, giggling insidiously. Walking around him to flank him on either side, she'd see to much her horror nine mini-Cells, all fixing the evilest of stares while barely controlling their laughter.

"As you can see," Cell spoke, waving his arms around his offspring, none of them possessing the halo like he did and indicating that they were in fact real living beings and not just artificial constructs. "I love myself enough to give birth to my own family. Say hello to my Cell Juniors."

All of the gods in attendance looked on with both alarm. Cell knew he was taking a bit of a risk inciting a potential violation; after all, the teams were supposed to be composed of ten fighters each Universe. But there was nothing in the rule book that stated that couldn't happen through a method of this nature. No one could duplicate themselves asexually like he could, and he knew that such a factor wasn't thought up.

Which is why the complaints were all but inevitable to be made.

"That can't be legal!" Champa voiced first, standing up and pointing with a jiggling stomp towards Cell. "He can't just create new fighters on the fly! That's cheating!"

"For once, I'm in agreement," The Universe 4 Hakaishin, Quitela, spoke with a pointed glare at the Bio-Android before casting it straight at the Grand Priest. "We were all told we can't have more than 10 Fighters per team of every Universe. Creating additional participants, no matter the means, shouldn't be allowed."

"That's right!" Heles shouted, visibly sweating with cringe as much as dismay at the outcome Cell created. "He can't just make new fighters! It should've been on the rules!"

As the clamoring continued, Beerus just grit his teeth angrily. He had no idea that this Bio-Android had so many unique biological advantages. If he had at least known ahead of time, he could've prepared a counterargument to his peers. But at the moment, it was hard for him to justify it more than simply telling off the other Gods of Destruction.

"Peh! They're just jealous they don't have a fighter like Cell," The Elder Kaioshin remarked with a sour expression. As Shin and Kibito looked to him with curiosity, the older Shinling just peered down at the collection of 'Cell Juniors' he could only huff with chagrin. "This is a useful ability that goes beyond being able to fly without _ki_ or skipping time. Cell is dangerous enough on his own, but creating spawn? That is the kind of thing that is the most fearsome I believe, especially in a tournament where eliminating people from the arena is a main objective."

"I can see why they'd think its unfair, but I see your point," Shin nodded with affirmation. "If they had a fighter with this ability on their own, they wouldn't think twice about using it."

"This is a tournament to survive," Kibito noted, swallowing hard as he turned his sight to the Grand Priest who was adamantly stoic about the whole outburst of the gods. "I wonder how he'll rule it?"

The said angelic being turned to look towards the pair of thrones occupied by the pair of Zen'ou. They smiled in the slight way their placid faces could allow, and they raised their arms up as if to convey something. Then, they placed it over their heads in an arch shape with their seemingly boneless appendages.

Nodding his head, the Grand Priest smiled back at the collection of gods and issued his statement, "The Omni-Kings have declared it to be acceptable. It is not breaching the rules in any way. Since it is a natural function of Cell's biology there's no breaching of the rules as was stated. Nothing from the outside is being used nor are there weapons involved. Cell is free to continue fighting as he sees fit within the confinement of the guidelines within I issued at the beginning."

"B-But-!"

"_Are you doubting the Will of Zen'ou?_" The Grand Priest inquired with a dangerous edge coldly laced over his too-calm choice of words.

Champa, Quitela and every other god that was arguing or standing quietly returned to their seats. They collectively had nearly caused themselves to be erased due to upsetting their overseer. With everyone reluctantly accepting the ruling, the brief calm of uncertainty that settled over the majority of combatants still competing in the Tournament of Power was now lifted off their shoulders. Fighting with renewed vigor, they'd return to their opponents and keep the pressure up.

Meanwhile, Cell was pleased things had once again gone his way.

"You hear that, you tub of lard?" The Perfect Being asked rhetorically, gesturing to his cackling offspring. "My Cell Juniors are allowed to play. Don't be caught off guard by their appearance though; every single one of them are as strong as I am."

"Ha! As if that will stop the power of love!" Ribrianne stated aloud, turning towards the stands as much as the nearby members of Universe 2. "Everyone, listen! I need you to shower me in your love, so we can bring about the end of this horrid monster and achieve victory in this tournament for Universe 2!"

"Yes!" A not too distant quad of male fighters said in unison. Jimeze, the aforementioned Yardratian; Rabanra an orange upper body and black lower body with chitinous crystal of green on his crown with blank pupiless green eyes; Zirloin a statuesque tall man of blue pigmented skin with red eyes, rounded nose and broad shoulders he wore a bronze set of armor with wide pauldrons, a pointed helm that covered his years with an amethyst toga draped over his shoulders running in front of and behind his legs; the last of them was a mustard complexioned older Tsufuru, adorned with a white mustache that matched his visor-less helmet with stripes of gold on either side, a white cape wrapped around his neck with matching gloves and boots with a red body suit adorned over his surprisingly lean shape. All four of them moved in unison with a look of dumbfounded adoration to Ribrianne. "Let our love shine for you! For it is our passion for our comrades and our affection for the helpless that gives us our strength to fight on! Take our love and make it your power!"

"Yes!" Helles, the pharaoh themed Hakaishin from the stands cried out, stretching her own palm while placing her free one over her bosom. "Let our love shine over this dismal tournament of survival, and gleam across the Multiverse! Kamikaze Fireballs, let the light of our combined love strengthen you!"

As they all chanted this, Cell observed the strange hearts of resonating energy extending from the stands as much as around the entire arena. Everyone could see that some form of power transference was being made. And given no interruption was made by the Grand Priest -with even the child gods raising their arms as if to imitate the ritual- it seemed that this wasn't against the rules either. A swirl of hearts enraptured the three Kamikaze Fireballs, the trio becoming enveloped in an ethereal cocoon of sorts that strung lines of _ki_-webbing across the various parts of kachi katchin.

Cracks formed seconds later, light of rosy-white escaping it right before releasing a shower of searing light of bubblegum hue into the World of Void's atmosphere. The three were now only slightly accentuated by this power-up, each one now adorned in a form of wings. Ribrianne was now sporting a pair of quaint white and pink butterfly wings, Rosie had tiny dove wings on her wrists and ankles, and Kakunsa had a set of hawk-like wings of blue feathers adorned on her back. All three radiated a substantial aura of blue, yellow and rose, their individual power ceilings rising ever-higher despite their ridiculous get-up.

"Ha-Ha-Ha!" Ribrianne boasted, her finger now pointed towards Cell with renewed confidence. "Now I have the love of Universe 2 behind me, and my faith in my fellow Kamikaze Fireballs to keep me going! Prepare yourself, ugly evil one!"

"Kids," Cell spoke without looking down at them, the giggling nine looking up at him with curiosity. "Go keep an eye on our friends of Universe 7. You have my memories so you'll know who. Make sure they don't get knocked out of the ring, understand?"

Only replying with a "gehehehe," they all nodded and disappeared in a series of flickering motions of super speed.

"You'll regret sending your spawn away," The rotund Fireball intoned with a jovial grin adorned on her face. "I shall vanquish you with all of my love!"

Without warning, she took to the air and soared up into the sky. Cell was surprised that the disproportionately tiny wings enabled her to fly her lumpy body off the ground. A bow of light formed in her hand while an arrow of rosy light with a heart shaped edge to it. Pulling back the string till it was taut, she'd unleash a projectile straight towards Cell.

Without batting an eye, the Bio-Android swung an arm and deflected it, sending it careening into a pile of debris that exploded with a high yielding shockwave of heart-shaped light.

"Not done yet!" Ribrianne cried out, pulling back her gloved fingers in a rapid-burst of momentum, sending dozens of arrows straight towards Cell. The Bio-Android leaped off the ground and began to leave a dizzying amount of Afterimages in his retreat, each one pelted by the explosions of sugary coated light and sweetness. Pursued across the arena through and around other contestants' fights, they'd see the Cell Juniors joining the ranks of the other Universe 7 fighters, aiding them fight back against their fearsome opponents. As streaks of color and quaking shockwaves cast shadows around their movements, the rotund woman flew in and around the area, continuing to pursue her opponent with laughter.

"Where do you think you're going, ugly thing?!" She bellowed out with glee, accelerating herself to get closer and pursue the genuine article even more swiftly. She could see amidst his leaps and jumps he was gliding through the aerodynamic shape of his wings; while not true flight, it was a convenient shape of his overall design that enabled him limited aerial maneuvering. It left a rippling motion of tearing through the sound barrier several fold over, an imprint that was becoming harder to keep track of.

"This will be the end," She proclaimed, pulling back an especially sizable arrow from her bow. "Take my love to the Void!"

Unleashing it with a loud _twang!_ the projectile streaked like lightning towards its target. A horrifyingly dismal shriek of flashing light and a blossoming explosion of colorful pink light enveloped the area Cell was racing across. It produced a shockwave great enough to shake the whole of the Tournament of Power's ring, the arena floor trembling from the mere impact of the supernova of affectionate energy. Leaving nothing but a heart shaped crater, Ribrianne felt both pride and sudden fear, feeling as if she had just killed the horrid blight instead of knocking him away through the force of her attack.

"Impressive," She'd hear from behind her, causing her body to seize up. Turning around with a swipe of her hand she'd see a flicker of motion disappear from her sight, reappearing to her back; landing a kick to her spine that sent her spiraling down into the ground through a kachi katchin formation with a cracking motion of obliteration to the durable substance. Landing behind her as she stumbled back to her feet, his feet squeaked on touchdown, his voice dripping with arrogance as he continued speaking to her. "Your power is enough that it was able to force me to take you seriously."

"Ngh! Hold! Still! You! Ugly! Thing!" Ribrianne grimaced with fury, swiping faster and faster as Cell's form was flickering around her from his Instantaneous Movement at play.

Finally feeling her fist connect to something, she'd widen in alarm as the overwhelming sense of power radiating form him now. She didn't know why she couldn't sense him, especially the moment she thought her arrow connected. It felt almost as if it disappeared entirely; only to reappear with a palpable emergence of that of a ceaseless scream of voices, with the presence of multiple poignant life forms.

Including the fighters such as the Precho and doubtlessly the eclipsing of his energy belonged to Universe 9's Hop.

Her hand was now caught into Cell's pale palm, folding back with painful bone cracking sounds. She cried out in pain, leaving her open to have a fist slam straight into her throat, causing her to choke out. A snap kick brought her head jerking back, her body leaving the air and then a follow-up roundhouse kick sent her flying across the arena. She felt kachi katchin strike her fast speeding frame, one after the other, until the last pile slowed her momentum completely and bring her rolling body close to the edge.

Pushing herself up, she'd feel the wings of her form flicker weakly, barely able to levitate herself up to her feet. Sweating at this view of a hopeless abyss, she veered around and raised her guard up, watching Cell approach with a slow measured gait. To her shock she could practically feel the wave of ghastly partitions of souls that were robbed of their life force. They were beyond her counting and the legion of them were smothered by the signatures of five that stood above the others in radiating harmony of equal portions.

"I-It can't be!" Ribrianne shrieked, feeling herself back up in the face of a walking nightmare. "How...how many people are trapped inside of you?!"

"_Enough,_" Cell gloated, his eyes a swirling scarlet as his smile deepen maliciously. "And you have still quite a bit of _ki_ yourself. Would you allow me to sample that energy?"

"Geh!" Ribrianne tensed, falling to the ground with her hands and knees prostrate on the earth. "Give you, the power of love?! A loveless creature like you doesn't deserve it!"

"Oh I'll make sure to choke my gag reflex back," The Bio-Android grinned, stopping but a few meters away, his tail already stretching from his backside. Just as the spring coiled brown appendage could latch onto the ground prone Ribrianne, Cell's eyes widened. Energy surged from the earth, casting twining vines of emerald with roses blossoming around them.

"Woop!" Cell leapt back, backflipping a dozen paces away, skidding back as a vine-filled area had filled the gap between him and her. "That was close. I must say, forcing your energy beneath this dense earth and funneling it up beneath my feet was a clever idea. It _almost_ worked."

"Tch!"

"What's the matter? Where did all of that bluster go you had a second ago?" Cell inquired with a grin. Placing a hand on his hip, he gestured with the other with a smug smile. "Despite how sturdy you appeared to be, it seems you've reached your limit. That form must prove quite a strain on that blubber of a body."

"Love will never wear on me, putrid bug man!" Ribrianne spat, her eyes twinkling alight as the energy surged through her in a gallant thrumming motion. Dazzling sparkles and twirling rays magnified her presence, increasing her stature and mass in every conceivable way. Higher, wider and higher still she'd stand so tall that she was almost on the same height of the arena's central pillar.

Cell leaned his head back, looking at an enormous figure that now stood in place of the once pudgy woman.

"Love fills my every pore! I am love itself! And I shall use this love to claim victory," She announced, pulling back a fist, slowly winding up her attack as Cell refused to move. "This is the end! **Love Fist**, haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!"

In the wake of her incoming fist, Cell's body began to gleam a bright incandescent field of golden-white. The silvery Sun rays sprayed outward, casting a massive dome of blinding hues as the whole of the insectoid figure's form changed in hue and pigmentation. The carapace plating became a gleaming golden shine with violet dots, matching the amethyst shade adorned over his face and hands. As Ribrianne was blinded by the near instantaneous transformation, Cell simply raised his hand and caught the massive fist without even flinching...

...leaving the earth behind him to crack and splinter from the sheer force of it.

"W-What?!" Ribrianne cried out with a thunderous voice.

"This is the result of my diligence and patience culiminating into the ultimate form of perfection," Cell announced, his hand digging into the massive fist and tearing it away in a shear of fizzling sparks. "**Perfect Gold!**"

"Y-You," She began to say, swinging her other mammoth fist towards her. "Won't win against my love!"

Blinking, she'd see that he disappeared and now was right in front of her face. A purple fist was pulled back and just as she opened her mouth to unleash an enormous beam of radiant _ki_, he'd crash his knuckles straight through the center of her head; leaving it to completely pop as if it was a balloon of Sunlight.

"I...lost?" She questioned, bewildered as her maximum powered form began to dwindle and disappear. What remained was her emerald haired person, falling unconsciously into the abyss, disappearing in a flicker to the stands with her gods of her Universe.

Around the same time, Android 17 dispatched Kakunsa with a swift series of punches, kicks and a massive beam of energy. Similarly Android 18 unleashed a particularly powerful beam of energy that sent Rosie flying off to join her comrades in the disqualified zone.

"Ribrianne, Kakunsa and Rosie of Universe 2 are all out of bounds," The Grand Priest declared with a smile.

"What a waste," Cell sighed, golden light peeling off his form and reverting him back into his basic perfection of emerald plating and chalk white flesh. "I could have really used an additional supplement of energy. It appears she proved too much trouble than she was worth. Oh well."

Turning on his heel, he'd leap over to a particularly high spot of debris, looking for his spawn as well as his team. Seeing a slew of orbs, he saw that they were channeling a series of blue beams in irregular intervals, sniping across the battlefield. One such beam flew towards his head causing him to lurch his neck to the side.

"Ngh?!" He'd wince, seeing it cut through his cheek with ease as it'd penetrate into the Void's clouds behind him. "So, they have a piercing beam? How annoying."

Leaping away from the majority of the beams, he grimaced as he saw some of his Cell Juniors weren't so lucky. Reduced to bloody chunks with their heads eviscerated, he had forgotten that they were not nearly as capable of resisting death as he was. Given that they weren't factors in the Tournament of Power, he knew the Grand Priest waived any penalties for such occurrences.

One of his Juniors charged straight in using superior speed and small stature to weave in and around the beams. He narrowly reached what looked like a grotesque mound of burgundy flesh with hands and feet like stubby protuberances rather than actual limbs. Just before he'd reach him, a thin blue line struck his back and he'd spit out a beam that struck the Junior in the face, spearing it out the other side.

"There you are," Cell grinned, raising a pair of fingers to teleport himself instantly to the Universe 2 Fighter, Puran.

"Y-You-!"

"Yes," Cell intoned, slamming a fist straight into his gullet hard enough to force him to puke out bile. "_Me!_"

Just then, another piercing beam of blue came barreling from a crop of kachi katchin earth. He noticed Kuririn and Tenshinhan stealthily moving between the debris field heading towards him, which raised his sights upon him. Grinning, he looked to Puran and asked with a smirk, "Say, you don't happen to absorb _ki_, would you?"

"So what if I do-ulk!" Puran felt himself cut off as Cell lanced a hand straight into his mouth.

"Say Aaah!"

"AAAAAALLLLLLLLK!"

Letting out a guttural cry as a mass of light was shoved into his mouth, the gelatinous sludge man swelled out till his midsection was glowing. Letting go of his mouth, he'd kick him around and slam his foot hard enough that he'd spew it out from his gaping maw. What would come out a Masenko he fired into his gullet, reproducing the same effect straight towards the sniper Cell spotted, slamming the corner of pile of rubble and exposing him for his Earthling teammates to intercept.

"S-Shit!" Hermila, an orange haired, green scaled reptilian humanoid swore aloud. Having just barely avoided the blast sent by his own teammate, he tried to find new cover to use against his opponents.

Unfortunately for him, an arching current of golden light swerved low and swooped over his head, unleashing a rain of _ki_ swiftly down on top of him.

"G-Gaaaaah!" He screamed in pain, narrowly leaping out of the majority of the combined blasts sent his way. Staggering out into the open with rolling steam ebbing from his charred back and shoulders, he'd turn to see a three-eyed fighter with the Crane School symbol emblazoned on his dark tunic top. Raising his wrist weapons up in readiness, he'd widen his eyes with stark fear as the figure in front of him fizzled out into an Afterimage.

Leaving the real one leaping high over his head.

"**SHIN!**" Tenshinhan declared with a knuckle embroiled set of fingers with flat palms. Spreading them out to form a triangular shape, he'd shout with a hallowed cry. "**KIKOHO!**"

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Hermila screamed out as an instantaneous wall of light slammed him across the arena. Crashing through the outer cropping of the arena, a square shape blast tore apart the kachi katchin's outer perimeter, leaving him thrown clean off the edge. Swearing expletives unheard by all, he'd vanish into the thin air as Puran would join him with a well aimed kick by the Bio-Android.

"Puran and Hermila of Universe 2 are out of bounds," The Grand Priest informed everyone, the pair appearing in the stands beside the Kamikaze Fireballs, and Vikal who was knocked out in addition by Android 17.

Cell had also noticed, among those that were dispatched, Universe 4 took a beating when he wasn't looking. Shosa, Majora, Dercori, and Caway were also knocked out, resting on the bench with dejected looks on their faces. Universe 11 had received casualties of numerous sort with Kahseral, Kettle, Cocotte, Zoiray, Tupper and Kunshi from their various altercations.

Much to his surprise, the Bio-Android noticed a Cell Junior of his launch a combined Kamehameha with Muten Roshi, slamming what was the bird-form of Ganos straight off the edge of the ring. While the latter older man looked a bit haggard, the Cell Junior simply swiped some sweat on his brow and giggled with glee. He'd be announced out of bounds in addition to the rest.

"You must be Cell."

Cell sensed the slime before it even spoke. With arms crossed, the Bio-Android gave a cursory glance around, seeing no one obvious. When his senses told him it was within the shadow of the rocks he was perched upon, his eyes narrowed and his smile deepened.

"And you must be Freeza's doppelganger," He intoned lowly.

"Frost, if you please," The grey-blue-black lizard humanoid chuckled lowly with a tongue dripping with metaphorical venom. "I have a proposal for you, if you'd allow me to indulge you."

The Bio-Android could tell something was awry. He was the kind of person to make this ploy if he was in a state incapable of achieving what he wanted through his own biological perfected means. With someone wearing the same face as Freeza, it'd be hard to take him at his word, regardless of the urgency behind one's own situation.

"Do please entertain me with this plan of yours," Cell informed, his eyes now forming into a visible sneer. "But pay heed I am a busy man with limited time. If you want to lead me on, find someone else to scam, for I'm no mood for word games."

"You've demonstrated your power so efficiently. The only person who comes close to your naturally gifted abilities Hit of Universe 6. Funny thing is, I don't know who would win if it came down to the two of you, as you both have so many advantages the other doesn't. Perhaps it'd be in your best interests if we were allies instead of enemies, won't you say?"

The Bio-Android knew something was off about the amethyst skinned, trenchcoat adorned figure. This shady type looked to possess an enormous amount of power and held himself with poise as much as experience. With his _ki_ sense, he could tell this being was strong perhaps as strong as Goku is now. Part of him was cautious of confronting him while the other ached for the challenge. But with Jiren still in the ring, he wondered if it was safer to conserve his power when he eventually would face him instead?

A sudden, immense shockwave filled the far side of the arena. His eyes widened palpably as he felt a blast wave of _ki_ in the form of what his sight perceived was a punch's force. He didn't know who was the target only that the fist belonged to Jiren himself, and he had blown away his competition in an effortless maneuver that took precision as much as pure power.

"Maji-Kayo of Universe 3 is out of bounds," The Grand Priest announced.

With his eyes slanting into a thin glare, Cell's hands balled up into his fists beneath his arms.

"Consider this a deal, Frost," The Bio-Android intoned, a rueful smirk now adorned upon his face; one he made sure the Freeza doppelganger could see. "Just make sure to keep your end of the bargain."

"Of course," He chuckled in a raspy tone, disappearing from the shadow in a blur of swift movement. "_Doubly goes the same for you, Cell._"

* * *

**A/N**: And another update! I know I may be skipping some of these fights or just briefly summarizing them but, for the most part, I liked how most of them went in the Anime. With a great deal of Universe 2 now ringed out, along with Universe 4, it is likely that we will get to the halfway point of where the Anime had the first 'climax' so to speak. Look forward to that coming sooner rather than later!

Hope you all enjoyed this chapter and see you all in the next eventual update!


	7. A Perfect Spectator

Cell moved around the arena, counting the number of offspring he still had left in his arsenal. Due to the veracity of the sniper's cutting beams he realized -much to his dismay- up to four of them had been eliminated in the crossfire. Moreover, he had missed a few and saw only three turn up to be addressed by him. He ordered them to hide, feeling that some of the more powerful players he had yet to test his might on must have sent them hurtling off into the void; something that the Grand Priest had left the Juniors out of the enchantment of the Tournament of Power's rules as well.

In his maneuvering, he had witnessed Botamo's elimination through Gohan's multitude of punches that sent him up from the ring and then thrown completely off with a Kamehameha that he couldn't avoid. His eyes scanned the rest of the area, covered in dust and debris of the upheaved land. The arena was still in shambles and some of the fighting had softened by comparison to the earlier few minutes. Two Universes were eliminated and swathes of contenders were now sitting on the bench, the floating stands now getting fuller and fuller by the minute.

"_Perhaps it's time I made my move against the remaining Pride Troopers?_" Cell thought, cupping his chin as he was contemplating his next role in the tournament. So far he had amassed a significant increase of energy thanks to the Precho and Hop, the latter's _ki_ concealment granting him the ability to mask his presence almost completely.

A sudden wisp of air being disturbed was all the warning he'd receive before he'd sense the presence of his foe. A kick struck the center of his back, a sting of a blow if he ever felt one.

Whirling around he'd swipe only to see a shimmer of Instantaneous Movement. His eyes widened as the signature manifested over his right side, now a spinning roundhouse kick slamming towards his head.

This time, his arm raised up to deflect it, his eyes now meeting Jimeze's dark glaring orbs.

"I was wondering when I'd see the rest of you," Cell intoned with a smirk.

"You bespoiled my fair maiden, Ribrianne," Jimeze sneered, barely holding his voice back from shouting aloud his contempt. "As the Kamikaze Fireballs' knight, I will defeat you for this unspeakable act of dishonorable conduct!"

"Oh good, _another_ virtuous sort," The Bio-Android snorted, rolling his eyes with visible annoyance. "What tripe."

"HA!"

Cell was surprised by what came next. Eyes widened when the man's foot swelled to enormous proportions within fractions of a second; adding to the mass it'd suddenly kick him away with a force of multiplied strength after the fact. Crashing through the top of a kachi katchin slab, the Bio-Android flipped backwards to skid into a hunched-over crouch. Standing upright with a more composed expression he saw that the creature was no longer a short and slim looking being, but now the size of an Oozaru; both in muscular definition and height.

"So you can make yourself bigger?" The artificial being inquired derisively with a humored grin. "Is that supposed to intimidate me?"

"I an Sir Jimeze of the Yardratian Honor Guard!" He declared with a booming voice, his aura becoming an incandescent rosy color that bristled within the air. "And I will reclaim the honor you robbed of Lady Ribrianne!"

Cell decided to show him that his size change wasn't anything special.

Clenching his hands at his sides, he'd let out a grunting growl, his body beginning to ebb a glowing golden current. In a matter of seconds he shifted into a size larger, and broader. The overall shape and physique was the same but he was now rivaling the being that blatantly attacked his blind sport; whom now looked on with a narrow glare as he held his posture. Now at the same altitude, Cell grinned back, speaking in a much softer voice belying his overall physique.

"There's something else I can do that you can't."

"And what is tha-NGH?!"

The Yardratian bulged at the eye sockets, his chest slammed by an elastic stretch of the Bio-Android's now massive arm. The blow was significant enough that it threw him off his feet and straight across one side of the ring over to the other. Lying sprawled onto his back, he shrunk to his normal size, hacking up a globule of blood from the blow he sustained.

Blinking through his delirium he'd see Cell's monstrously large form leap after him, both feet pulled back and then surging with elastic throttling towards his ground prone form.

To the Bio-Android's surprise, Jimeze wouldn't simply disappear from the massive pair of feet crashing onto the arena floor, but separate into a dozen copies. Unleashing a barrage of gum-colored kikoha, Cell raised his arms up to deflect the barrage, feeling the blows sting his larger form. Clenching his hands into fists, he'd swing his appendages around and unleash a kiai in either direction to send the copies all flying. Compressing his body back to its normal size, he'd turn to unleash a barrage of piercing kikoha that his Freeza genes enabled him. They disappeared with Instantaneous Movement, much to his chagrin, vanishing just short of being cut apart by his attacks.

"Hold still, you gnat!" Cell snarled, turning around to focus his _ki_ sense on his foe. He'd feel out him returning to his original shape and then flicker around in a teleporting frenzy. Each time he'd materialize he'd be just shy of being hit by the Bio-Android's attacks. Light struck, exploding against the kachi katchin before he'd hurtle a series of kikoha at Cell that trailed a series of glittering sparks that lit up the air and gravitated to the earth. Cell deflected the orbs, firing some of them in midair before they'd reach him.

"You know, you're just wasting energy I could be using for myself," The Bio-Android growled with impatience, unleashing a hail of kikoha that created a wall of fire from the debris field that the Yardratian was using as cover. "Give it up already!"

Appearing overhead, Jimeze held out his hand, as if clawing towards the ground.

"What are you-?"

As Cell began to ask the question, his ki sense alerted him to the true nature of the seemingly insignificant specks of light surrounding him. They weren't just specks of ki; they all became massive and swollen with power all at once. Each one of them packed with enough power to create a significant explosion. All of them at once released one exponentially larger than any attack his opponent unleashed until now.

"DIE, MONSTER!" Jimeze howled, clenching his clawed out hand into a fist, unleashing a massive explosion that utterly consumed the area that Cell occupied.

Teleporting away from the imminent dome of light that would've struck him, the knight of the Kamikaze Fireballs glared onward with a grimace on his face. He took no pride in having harmed this creature, but his contempt for it eliminated any guilt he possessed for him. The flames that rolled within the partition of the arena produced a thick smoke that rose into the infinite sky of nothingness, leaving little to the imagination of what sorry state his adversary was in.

"Not bad."

"W-What?!" The Universe 2 fighter choked out, his eyes widening at the sound of the voice beyond the gap between himself and the burning tongues of his own design. In ground zero was a barrier of ghostly emerald hue, showing a completely unharmed Cell standing within. Letting it dissipate, the Perfect Being turned to grin wryly at the flabbergasted warrior, making squeaky steps across the dense pavement towards him.

"It was a good strategy. Apart from your skills I've seen before that plan had merit. Had I not possessed two completely useful counters, I might have suffered some form of injury," He explained, slowly approaching Jimeze. "The first, and most obvious counter is a nigh impenetrable barrier I can erect at my choosing. The second, well."

A flickering motion was seen and Jimeze felt a vicious uppercut drive up into his spine, bowing him forward with significant momentum; just in time to see Cell reappear in front of his flying frame with a lancing elbow driving straight into his face. The sound of bone cracking crossed the Bio-Android's box-shaped ears, bringing a laugh out of his throat.

"You can thank Son Goku for this move," The android replied darkly, watching blood splatter across Jimeze's face as his nose was virtually destroyed and his body crumpled onto the ground after a rolling stop. Stepping slowly towards him, the Bio-Android approached the gallant competitor of Universe 2, Cell continued to drive insult to the injured opponent of his. "If your race founded the technique it was he who used it against me and I learned it from him. Once again the ire of your failure can fall onto his shoulders, as you other Universes do."

Despite the severity of his wounds the artificial being witnessed Jimeze not give into despair. Pushing himself upward, his red stained visage dripped thick of ichor from his crushed nasal cavity. With his body held straight up, he wiped the grime off his face and grasped the ruin nostril, turning it painfully in line to enable breathing once more. Raising a palm up, he'd drop into a battle ready stance, his aura renewed with a burst of pink-outlined-white thrumming persistently around him.

"I am Jimeze of Universe 2," He declared stoically, his black eyes boring towards Cell's scarlet orbs. "And I refuse to play along to your sinister game, Cell!"

"Heh, very well," The Bio-Android grinned, complying to the fighter's wishes. "I prefer some more futile resistance anyways. Come, and show me your resolve!"

Jimeze leaped forward with a warrior cry, and Cell's energy exploded into an aurora of gold.

But, just as they were about to reengage, something stirred in the air.

_Something otherworldly._

* * *

"_Jiren? Jiren, can you hear me?_"

A whisper in the shadow of a tranquil abyss filled the mind of the solitary warrior. He had been completely undisturbed by the ongoing events of this 'Tournament of Power'. None had quite drawn his ire for more than a few moments and the rampaging of chaotic variables were quickly subdued. None dare approach him rashly and no one seemed to genuinely wish an engagement.

Save for one man.

"_Yes, I hear you, Belmod,_" He replied through his telepathic link with the jester destroyer of Universe 11.

He danced from one corner of the planet of his mind to the other, always nearby and eager to send his weapon. The clown make-up disguised the nefarious mind working behind the scenes of the laid back Hakaishin. He had always worked out the kinks of various schemes, always held his cards close to his chest. While he was not an underhanded mire like Quitela he was definitely a cunning one, belonging to arguably the most well-off Universe of those slated to be eliminated; one he wasn't going to let be erased so easily.

"_The time to conserve your energy has come to an end,_" The God of Destruction declared with a lethal whisper, mentally arriving by his right side with a glowing projection of Universe 7's proudest warrior in his palm. "_The one called Son Goku, the person responsible for disgracing us collectively and causing this catastrophe. You will make an example of him, to pave the way for our Universe's victory._"

Crushing the light-formed construct into a shower of sparks that darkened the mind palace of their conversation, Belmod's voice rang definitively within his mind.

"_Ignore the weaklings. Focus all of your attention on your sole target: __Eliminate Son Goku!_"

"_Understood._"

He opened his deep, endless black eyes and the grey skinned alien of enormous stature exhaled. Uncrossing his arms, the statuesque entity began to take one step forward and begin a slow trot towards the only signature of energy that he found of interest. During his walk, energy ebbed invisibly from him, the arena subtly vibrating while the empty gaseous void trembled. Even the floating stands could feel an immense pressure that was rippling outward from an independent being's movement.

Jiren the Grey of Universe 11 was on the move!

* * *

"Piccolo, can you feel that?"

"I do," The stoic emerald skinned fighter enunciated, the pair back to back as they were in the middle of battling the Universe 3's Nigrissi and Paparoni. Gohan, whom was facing the prior Team 3 warrior, could feel the hairs on his neck stand up and the _ki_ sense he had trained to hone both from the Exhibition match to the current tournament was blaring in alarm.

Not too far away, Muten Roshi was peering around a makeshift hidey-hole of some collapsed kachi katchin so he could recover his energy. The shades adorned man was joined by Kuririn and the three remaining Cell Juniors that looked through holes of their own making at the commotion. They could see the grey skinned alien pass them by, not even regarding them despite how likely such a being could sense them. He was walking what seemed to be a straight line, towards the other hemisphere of the Tournament of Power ring.

Tenshinhan was facing off against Monna of Universe 4, the bulbous yellow plated woman looking just as in awe as the three eyed man at the distantly walking Jiren. Vegeta himself was squaring off against two of the Universe 6 Nameccians, his own eyes drifting with theirs towards what the Earthling was seeing.

"He's ignoring us," The three-eyed Crane Schooler stated, furrowing his eyes. "Where is he going?"

It took him a few seconds of contemplation before he'd see a familiar orange gi wearing fighter drop out of thin air in the path of Jiren. Caulifla and Kale were hiding in the shadow of the central pillar, but the more brazen of the two looked on with eagerness while the latter was more trepid, knowing what Jiren was capable of from firsthand exposure. Hit lied in wait from a well concealed position, Frost grinned with rapt anticipation and a myriad of other fighters halted their ongoing battles to see two of the most noteworthy combatants draw nearer to one another.

"Eighteen."

"Yes, I feel it too, Seventeen," The blonde answered her raven haired twin, looking at the loose pebbles of kachi katchin rattle near her feet. Even the clouds of the distant expanse of emptiness warped around into varying shapes, the air becoming a thick haze of something hot that was moving the expanse of space within its tangible grasp. "The whole World of Void...is shaking."

Even the Bio-Android, who was locked in conflict just seconds ago with Jimeze, immediately abandoned his skirmish with the Yardrat fighter. Leaping up the broad size of the ring's singular pillar, he'd propel himself up with flares of _ki_ before reaching the top. Forward flipping he'd land on its apex, stepping forward till he could watch from on high, with arms crossed and eyes knitted into an intense observational stare.

On the stands, Belmod smiled, the clown Hakaishin placing his hands behind his head as he leaned back in a leisurely self assured sense of smugness. His Angel, Marcarita, looked amused at how cocky her charge was. Meanwhile the Kaioshin partner of his, Kai, was looking on with a more stoic serious look of observation.

"This is the moment of truth," Whis stated aloud, with Beerus nodding in agreement with his hands resting on his knees with a forward leaning stance of anxiousness. "Son Goku will be fighting this battle alone. It will be unlikely anyone can help him in this destined clash."

"Let's just hope all of his training has paid off," The Hakaishin growled aloud with worry plain in his voice. Eyes narrowed as he saw the pair draw closer until they were within firing distance of one another.

Then, without provocation, Jiren unleashed a typhoon of wind from his very body. It was enough that Goku had to raise his arms to brace himself, his heels digging into the kachi katchin flooring without any reservation. The blistering air startled the Universe 7 contenders for the most part, flabbergasting that they were feeling but an inkling of this walking monster's power.

But, just as quickly as he raised his power, it had settled down. The larger and more imposing one of the two silently stared back at Goku without raising a finger nor saying a word. It was clear who was in control of this situation and he wanted to bring his opponent to him rather than the other way around.

Without wasting more than a handful of seconds, Son Goku exploded into an aura of yellow tinted white and howled to the heavens. Cupping his hands in a blur at his hips he'd unleash an enormous flare of Kamehameha straight towards the grey warrior's front. The very same power that at a fraction of its strength overwhelmed Freeza upon his substantial return on Earth was now merely splitting into pieces along the front of Jiren's unmoved chest; his very aura deflecting it without even forming a basic barrier.

Seeing this, Goku sneered and embroiled himself into the thick flame of Super Saiyan. Transforming quicker than he ever had, the man unleashed a harry of kikoha while running forward, watching them become dispersed but at a much closer proximity to the body than before. Leaping up, he'd spin around and shift from the first form into the second, the Super Saiyan 2 unleashing a powerful kick to the side of Jiren's unguarded head. Seeing his neck only lurch slightly with the blow but to no real affect beyond that, Goku kicked off the front of his face and backflipped unleashing a brilliant flare of light to unmask the third form in all of its chaotic electrical fury.

Running forward, he'd become a streak of gold with lightning coiling around it. He'd strike at the grey skinned warrior's front again, this time the man raising his index finger to block the blow. It was enough to make Goku's hairless brow raise, seeing that this power was enough to force him to defend himself. Unleashing a harry of blows, each one producing spiraling arcs of lightning from the defending gloved digit that defended against all of them.

The distantly viewing Vegeta would notice this was a similar scene of superior power and skill that his sworn rival demonstrated to his son from the future; it was baffling to see how the roles were reversed so severely.

Backpedaling from his current assault, the raging aura of Super Saiyan disappeared and his overall power disappeared completely from all mortals' senses. The long primal mane of Super Saiyan 3 disappeared with the flow of rising Sun-colored power, now a resonant flame of calm majesty that produced an eerie pressure within the atmosphere. From this point on, only the gods could feel what kind of power he'd possess and they all could remember his demonstration against Toppo in the Exhibition Match as well as against the strongest of Universe 9's fighters.

Leaping up and forward, Goku carved an arc of Godly _ki_ across space with his leg straight towards Jiren's head. This time he saw a hand raise up to block it, but his body remained rigidly unmoved. Grimacing, the godly empowered Goku spun around and kicked the opposite side, then unleashed a godly powered kikoha straight into his face. Seeing it knocked aside as effortlessly as his legs were defended against, the Turtle Schooler grinned nervously, a trickle of cold sweat beading off his brow.

"Looks like even Super Saiyan God isn't enough," Goku mused, drawing back from Jiren a few steps away. "Guess I got not no choice but to use it."

Caulifla leaned in, her hands clenching the piece of kachi katchin so tight that it began to web out in splintering fragments. The torch haired Saiyan looked on with marveling eyes as the Earth-raised Saiyan began to let out a feral howl. A mystical glow of blue encased his whole being, a radiant aurora of starlight shining straight from his person as if he was the center of a nova. The gleams of light brought all eyes on him if they haven't been already, with the gods all staring with a mixture of awe, anger, fear and uncertainty.

Then, the form unveiled in peeling fragments like scales from his body, unveiling the majestic soft flame of azure that produced a familiar muscular build along with blue eyes and a deep blue torch-shaped head of hair. White cracks of lightning silently snapped and popped around him, his eyes staring headlong at Jiren with a focused glare.

"That's it! Super Saiyan Blue!" Caulifla cried out, Kale barely holding her back as she scrambled towards it practically on all-fours. "IwantitIwantitIwantit-!"

"S-Sis! Calm down!" Kale pitifully pleaded, doing her best to hold the yet-to-recover fellow Saiyan from flinging herself head-first into certain danger.

"Super Saiyan Blue," Beerus intoned, a reserved expression now on his face as he sat more upright, hand still on his knees with rapt anticipation. "Finally."

"To think he may be as strong as Zamasu once was," Whis noted with soft smile. "Though, it doesn't seem he's quite through yet, does it?"

The Hakaishin knew what he meant.

In the past, Goku had experimented with the pros and cons with Super Saiyan Blue. It's prestigious control over its own energy made it the best at conserving one's battle through hard fought attrition. However, the act of transforming into the form itself burned a significant amount of stamina. If one lost control over it, even for a second, returning to the prime fighting condition would sap one's stamina egregiously. Goku tried to make up for it by pushing his body further through tentative use of his first godly taught technique, the Kaioken. It was enough to help him draw out Hit to the point neither one could win without something being lost, but he lost control of his _ki_ for an extended period of time afterwards.

So the solution, came into the form of what Goku was demonstrating now.

Closing his eyes, the Turtle Schooler inhaled deeply, the bristling aura of golden-white inner glow with the outer cobalt tongues starting to shimmer less potently. Slowly but surely, the energy that consisted of his mantle of transformation's Godly _ki_ was being pulled into his body. After half a minute, the last bit of it ebbed inside of him, leaving all but a blue crown, brows and eyes with a largely unfettered Saiyan standing in its place.

From up on high, Cell's eyes looked on with awe. Even without sensing this 'Divine energy' he could tell precisely what Goku was doing. While the bleed of excess energy was part of the territory of all transformations, Saiyan and Freeza alike, he had never considered the alternative of holding that excess power inside of his own body. The strain would likely be immense, but the advantage of power-up could be well worth the trade-off. This was likely something honed through endurance training and that this was a method run through as much patience as it was trial and error.

"Now, he's ready," Beerus grated out.

"Let's hope this is enough," The Elder Kaioshin gravely prayed, Shin and Kibito leaning forward with shock at the level of power Goku had obtained.

Stepping forward, Goku approached Jiren, and the grey skinned warrior began to walk ahead in kind. Soon the pair of grimacing fighters were less than a meter apart, with the Turtle Schooler craning his neck up to stare straight into his eyes while the latter glared back down at him. There was no words to say, no speeches to give nor negotiations to be had. There was only their fight for survival, for both of their Universes.

_CRACK!_

A deafening punch was thrown first by Universe 7's champion, throwing Jiren backwards by the force of his hit. Following up with it, the Earth-raised Saiyan throttled forward and threw a follow-up punch, this time guarded by the black-&-red trooper's gloved forearms. It didn't stop his momentum, plowing through a good chunk of the debris of one side of the arena to the other. Throwing down the weight of Goku's punch, Jiren reached out to grasp Goku's arm only for him to reflexively pull back and throttle a kiai that staggered the toughest Pride Trooper backwards.

"HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA!" Goku cried out in fierce shrill repetition, unleashing a slew of kikoha of significant power towards the Pride Trooper. While on their own, they obliterated the kachi katchin without resistance, the Pride Trooper's body braced against it while sprinting ahead with a wide-eyed stare of impassive dispassion. Throwing himself into the backpedaling Blue-Saiyan without a care at the explosions flaring on his body he'd tackle the man in a full-charge, unleashing a blast of virulent _ki_ in retaliation that sent him screaming backwards.

Skidding on his back, Jiren reached his hand out to grab his boot, whipping him around to slam from one surface of the arena to the other. Only sustaining the first two impacts, Goku surprised Jiren as he'd flare out a pure crimson aura and overpowered him with a rising kick to his chin that sent him flying backwards. It was only for a split instant, far quicker than most eyes could follow, but the use of an additional power-up had increased the already substantial power draw of Perfected Super Saiyan Blue.

"My eyes may be going, but was that something else mixed with Perfected Super Saiyan Blue?"

"You're not mistaken, Lord Beerus," Whis ascertained, narrowing his own eyes at the instant that transpired. "It seems while neither of us were paying attention, Son Goku wasn't just perfecting Blue but also finding a way to reuse Kaioken onto his godly form."

"That could cost him," Beerus licked his lips, his arms now crossed with one digit tapping his bicep with anxiousness. "Kaioken had proved great results but it seems to hamper him in the long run. If he has to keep using that power-up...!"

It didn't need to be finished. They both knew what the long-term effect would entail.

Tracing a mark left on his chin, the Pride Trooper glowered with a sign of softly burning fury at Goku. Grunting, the black-&-red clad fighter widened his eyes-

-repeatedly struck an unguarded Goku seven times in the chest and then an eighth time across the face to send him spiraling backwards.

"Those attacks," Vegeta gaped from afar, eyes twitching madly with self loathing. "I couldn't even follow them!"

"Punches," Cell murmured, from his perch on high with eyes shaking from what he witnessed. It was brief but he had saw the impression of phantom fists launched from seemingly now appendage of Jiren straight into Goku at a simultaneous conjunction. By the time it happened, the Blue-tailored Saiyan was sent flying backwards, likely unable to comprehend his own failure to intercept the attack.

As everyone was left stunned, Jiren the Grey rushed his foe without waiting any longer for him to rise to his feet once more. White fists slammed in multitude into Goku's guard, the man's arms receiving redundant impacts that was making his arms feeling like hammers were shaking the inside of his limbs. Had it not been for his current state, he'd likely receiving broken bones from the mere force of connecting fists.

Swinging his hands around in mid-parry, Goku let out a harrowed cry of, "TAIYOKEN!" and unleashed a searing glare straight into Jiren's gaze. It was a substantial enough blow that the grey-skinned fighter recoiled in pain, his most valued organs now temporarily incapacitated. While not robbed of his uncannily transcendent ki sense, it was still disorienting enough that Goku got in his own share of blows on the grey-skinned warrior.

A rising knee to the chest, a pair of knife hands to his collarbones, both hands grasping his head and slamming his own forehead against the hairless dome brought the figure reeling backwards. With a faint gleam escaping the muddied vision of Jiren's visage, he let out a snarl and swiped his hand, unleashing a massive eviscerating blow of pure air pressure that carved the arena's airspace; it even cut through the gaseous veil of the World of Void's endless vista, giving a visual indicator of just how powerful one arm swipe was.

So caught off guard by the force of what nearly caught him, Goku missed the leg that pendulum snapped him into the abdomen. Bowling up with a radiating white pain shockwaving from his core, he'd be unable to concentrate on evasion when Jiren was caught by his hair and brought in for a vicious punch into the chest. Held aloft in front of the man as he gasped for air, spewing out blood tainted saliva onto his barely scuffed face, the champion of Universe 11 said two simple grated words to him.

"It's over."

Slamming a palm straight into Goku's barely guarded midcenter, a shrill whine of light appeared and then throttled Goku straight from on end of the arena to the other. Bowling through kachi katchin and nearly taking a few other spectating contenders with him, the Saiyan wailed out in pain as he tried to cling to his chest, bracing one arm with the other with pitted concentration. At the last possible second, he shot a smaller kikoha at Jiren's orb, firing it away into the out of bounds realm of the void, leaving him to drop back into a roll that sent him nearly off the edge.

Grimacing, Son Goku pulled himself away from the edge and began to rise, feeling his insides burn at the wisps of Godly ki struggling to escape.

"_I don't have a lotta time,_" He thought with a wince, his eyes staring ahead at Jiren who had his back to him now. Gritting his teeth, he bellowed aloud with unadulterated fury. "Where do you think you're lookin', Jiren?!"

Turning to regard Goku, the grey skinned warrior stoically adjusted his posture to face his still-standing adversary. Arms now at his sides, he waited for the eventual counterattack.

"KA! ME!" Goku chanted aloud, taking his palms forward and cupping them onto his side. "HA! ME!"

"That linear attack won't work, Son Goku," Jiren repeated aloud, his brows knitting angrily at him. "Have you lost all hope of a formidable plan to best me?"

In questioning this, suddenly Goku's body evaporated from space, and Jiren's eyes widened, feeling Goku's person appear right down in front of him. His glaring eyes widened, a flash of red that Goku saw from before, caused his own body to flare up in crimson; allowing him to react and avoided the near instantaneous blows that he knew were coming through teleporting behind Jiren with a pair of outstretched hands aimed at his backside.

"HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" He roared out mightily, unleashing a mass of light that would've consumed the whole top of the ring had Jiren not been the target. The scope of the energy wave rolled with the proportional breadth of a supernova but perpetually unrelenting and capable of annihilating so much more mass and life than that. It was an attack that could have leveled galaxies without ceasing and its terrifying amount of power bore straight towards the mightiest being of the 11th Universe.

But to everyone's surprise, a single hand had deflected the blast. The glove was scorched, disintegrating to ash and leaving a partially burned set of fingers and a palm in its wake. Jiren had done so without even glancing behind him, catching the attack without seeing it happen even as he was physically guarding his front more than his back.

It was all Goku could do to not shake like a leaf as the bristling currents of Blue's aura returned to his exterior and painted him in a weaker cerulean mantle of light.

"That's right, Son Goku," Belmod jeered with a red-painted smile. "Jiren's incapable of being outmaneuvered. His eyes see everything, and his senses go beyond even the gods' knowledge. There is no point in strategy when he can see your every move, nor is there a hope of you having the power to bring him to his knees when you have to destroy your own body to do so. Face it, you're done!"

"Ke-ke-ke-ke-ke!" Quitela cackled with his own quirky laugh, arms crossed over his yellow slender chest as his buggy large eyes blinked maliciously in contempt at him. "Serves ya right for tryin' to undermine us gods with a pale imitation! Now get ready to fall!"

"Good for nothin' couldn't even take Jiren with him. How is this the guy that almost beat Hit?!" Champa complained with a shrill whine, throwing his arms up in the air with indignation. "C'mon! Is that the best you got, Son Goku?!"

As the crowd mocked, derided or judged Goku, the fight continued. Even without Perfected Blue, Goku used his more adept multiplier of Kaioken to make up the difference. Flashes of red came up instantly with every weaving dodge and counterstrike he could muster. Jiren and him were matching each other's blows, but he had to admit, he was doing all he could to just hold his ground against the fearsome foe.

Even using Instantaneous Movement to distance himself did little more than buy him a few extra seconds, launching spread-shots of kikoha while Jiren dispelled them with force of fist alone. The effort he was putting into his attacks wasn't lessening, and Goku's persistence in using the Kaioken for more prolonged bursts was starting to wear on his body. At this rate, he was going to collapse from overexertion rather than through Jiren's assault on his body.

Without much in the way of a plan, Goku relaxed his body and released his hold of his power, causing Jiren to stop short with a look of suspicion rather than confusion.

"Haha, you're strong, Jiren," He admitted, smiling weakly as his haggard person stood upright in front of him. Taking the shreds of orange that was all that remained of his gi top, he tore if off, revealing his blue undershirt that wasn't in much better condition. "I guess I'm goin' to try one technique that towers all others. Not sure if it'll work, but I got nothin' left to try."

Narrowing his eyes, Jiren remained statuesque and unmoving, allowing Goku to proceed with this last ditch effort of a plan.

Turning around, Goku saw the pillar center of the whole Tournament of Power ring. Grinning, he placed his fingers to his forehead and teleported straight to its top.

"G-Goku?" Cell stuttered out with surprise, wondering why he moved up to his perch all of a sudden.

"Hehe, sorry, Cell," He apologized grimly, taking a more central standing place next to the Bio-Android. "But this is the tallest spot. I needed to make sure I had room."

"Room? For what?"

The incredulous question was met with a familiar prostrate position. Buried within the inner workings of his genetic memory banks the artificial creation could tell exactly what kind of move Goku was about to use.

"Everyone!" Goku cried out, his voice cutting through the damning silence of the arena. "Lend me your energy! Every bit you can spare! Give me the strength to defeat my enemy!"

Below, Kuririn and Roshi didn't hesitate to emerge from their haphazard hiding place to assist. Raising their hands upward with encouraging smiles on their faces, they'd be joined by the three Cell Juniors who also giggled childishly with eagerness to join in. Tenshinhan, then Piccolo and Gohan, followed by 17 and 18 all pointed their hands up to assist in the energy transfer. Cell himself, with humor, stepped back till he was a bit farther away from his old target and raised his own hand. Casting a glance, he'd notice that the Saiyan Prince, recognized the technique and reluctantly raised his own gloved palm while averting his gaze towards Goku.

"What a fascinating technique," Beerus mused, smiling a bit with nostalgia at it. "If I recall, that's North Kaio's move, right?"

"Indeed," Whis affirmed with a gentle nod. "Given the total strength of our Universe 7 team, it is far more potent than it ever would've been using the populace of Earth. Such an insurmountable energy will be a force to be reckoned with."

Meanwhile, Goku was gathering a swelling orb of pure energy over his head. He was amazed that, after years since he last used it against Majin Buu, this technique had yet reach its apex of quality. It still took an exorbitant amount of time, something he was worried that Jiren would be opposed to. But, on looking down, he saw that he was waiting with hands at his side and glaring upwards. He wasn't moving an inch and wanted to confront Goku's most powerful move without a regret on his mind.

Chuckling nervously, Goku felt the last of the assimilated energy form a veritable astral body of power over his head.

"Prepare yourself, Jiren! Energy from the whole team of Universe 7!" Goku howled, raising his hands up and hurtling his body forward. "GENKI-DAMA!"

* * *

**A/N**: And that's a wrap! What, you thought I'd lead on to what happened next? Pffft!

While Cell had a more of a game of cat and mouse with Jimeze, I wanted to incorporate more of the recent chapters of the Super Manga extrapolating on the abilities of the Yardratians. With this being the only one present in the Tournament of Power, I wanted to give him a real good showing and, even though he wasn't eliminated in this chapter, this was a bigger hurrah for him than he might have gotten in the first place. Dogging Gohan didn't seem like a real good way to use him, and since Ribrianne was kicked out earlier in the ToP, it's likely he'd have a beef with Freeza's substitute than anyone else.

Apart from that, I liked compromising on the unique power-up solutions for Goku's use of Super Saiyan Blue (which I purposefully kept him from using in the tournament until this very moment, to sell its importance and impact as a superior form to Super Saiyan God). Perfected Blue makes a lot of sense, and carries on what Whis was trying to teach Vegeta and Goku since RoF; but given how badass Kaioken was and it makes sense for Goku to fall on old habits, I wanted to merge events and abilities in a similar Head Canon that they were both used in respective ways over the course of the story.

Now with Goku about to utilize the Genki Dama against Jiren, the second half of Goku's iconic fight of the ToP is about to be brought to its ultimate finale. Where will the story go from here? Will Goku obtain victory this time around? Are there other factors to go into this confrontation between Jiren and Goku? Find out in the next eventual update of A Perfect Tournament!


	8. A Perfect Surprise

Overwhelming.

That was the amount of power Cell saw contained within Goku's Genki Dama. Despite him having the genetic memory of the technique he had never saw the one used on Namek nor had a full picture of the energy used to annihilate Majin Buu. This was the first time he saw the energy bomb with his own eyes and it was a truly fearsome weapon of mass destruction. It made him grateful that he was on Universe 7's side -for the moment- and that imminent explosion wasn't going to hit him head-on.

Instead, it was aimed at the most resilient and powerful creature of the tournament: Jiren.

The grey skinned warrior clad in black, red and white stared up with a silent glare aimed at the falling meteor of light. Slowly descending towards him, it'd reverberate in the air, the atmosphere provided in the World of Void shaking as the ground trembled on its approach. Cerulean accented white light overwhelmed the arena's floor and every contender was covered in its overcast as it shined majestically in a touchdown to the ground. From the outside in, one could see it brace against the floor, overtaking the mass of muscle and _ki_ without much resistance.

A whistling gale followed its connection to the kachi katchin. Unlike the malleable soil of Namek or the tough crust of the Sacred World of the Kaioshin, the ground didn't begin to give way and combust. Instead it cracked the flooring, the mineral breaking one layer at a time. Beneath the shrieking wind that was unleashed beneath it came a burned hand, the glove deprived right hand of Jiren that shoved the enormous sphere of energy back up towards Son Goku.

"N-No way!" Shin cried out.

"The Genki Dama is being forced back?!" Kibito yelled out with wide, terrified eyes and his crimson skin began to ebb cold sweat.

"What...kind of monster...is he?" The Elder Kaioshin asked with a slumping stance, his hands pressed upon the seating behind him just to stabilize himself.

The God of Destruction couldn't tell them what Jiren was, just who he was. He had once speculated playfully to Son Goku about there being fighters stronger than himself in the Multiverse. While this was a subjective possibility, there was no telling exactly whom it would be and where it'd come from. At one point he believed Zamasu could have potentially garnered such a prestigious title but he had lost it in his own selfish ambition and madness. Seeing this grey skinned, unflappable warrior push back the massive sphere of energy with a single hand brought chills down the feline's spine.

It was quite possible Jiren was stronger than he was, though he didn't have the pride to admit it nor the courage to bring that up to his peers. Sweat beaded off his scalp, the realization of how completely outclassed his number one rival was formed a pit in his stomach. The sight of the energy pushing back towards Goku's spot was a damning sight; one that Goku tried to rectify to no avail by pushing both hands out to throw up a Kiai straight at the immense orb.

Looking to Whis, the Hakaishin saw that the Angel was stoic and not flinching in the slightest. Did he peer into the future to know what was happening now, or was this just the most predictable outcome? He didn't know what his handler and teacher thought, he was always so cagey about his emotions when it came to serious matters.

His attention veered back to the battle ongoing, when he heard Goku's voice overtake the thrumming sound of the Genki-Dama.

Engulfed in the glow of a Super Saiyan, Goku roared out, unleashing another pulse of power towards the sphere. It slowed but it still pushed back towards his position. Grimacing with bared teeth, veins began to throb across his arms from the back of his hands all the way to his exposed shoulders. Energy crackled around his body as he entered his second transformation, a raiment of crackling bolts running up and down his person. Approaching even slower, the Super Saiyan roared out, his body becoming an aurora of golden light that shifted dramatically; transferring straight into a blazing inferno of majestic golden-red of Super Saiyan God to hold the sphere in place.

"No you don't!" Goku sneered, his body spasming in place as his took hold of his own technique to keep it from being thrown back in his face. Despite the usual calmer angled hair of God was now a whipping torch of standing crimson, it was unusually swollen than before, with veins pulsing across his neck up his jawline and over his brow. Crimson eyes glared ahead, with a swirl of blue ringing around his pupil, teeth clenching hard enough to start cracking around the molars from the tension put on his jaw.

The nearby Bio-Android gawked at the titanic force he could sense from Jiren. The fact he could push against such a body of _ki_ of phenomenal proportions was beyond inhuman. Compared to the energy of Godly _ki_ he couldn't feel, this energy seemed to transcend mortal kind. He found himself stepping backwards on the platform, sweat accumulating across his face and his carapace shaking across his form.

"_I can't get caught up in this,_" Cell thought with a visible grimace. "_It's too soon to be thrown into Goku's folly! I have to withdraw and regroup. Maybe if I accumulate a bit more energy, perhaps I can..._"

The emerald menace found his thoughts trailing off as he saw wisps of blue escape the star-like back of Goku. The man was about to fight to the bitter end, here and now. It was no different than what happened when he tried to blow up the Earth decades ago. But where was there to escape, really? This was an arena in the middle of an empty space of nothing to latch onto. To run now was to die sooner rather than later.

What was he going to do? How can a Perfect Being stop an impossibility from occurring?

With his life on the line, Beerus threw caution to the wind. Standing upright, the panicking Shinlings and his attendant looked at him with surprise. Taking in a deep inhale, Champa, Quitela, Belmod and his own attendant looked in his direction.

And then, a booming shout shrieked through the air, causing almost everyone to recoil out of pain and surprise.

"GOKU!" He shouted, his voice tearing a funnel of air from his place in the stands straight towards the highest point of the arena. With everyone rattled on the ground by the competition of two veritable titans, they were shocked by the Hakaishin's words penetrating the conflict. "DON'T YOU DARE GIVE UP ON ME NOW! AREN'T YOU MY PROPHESIED RIVAL?! YOU AREN'T ALLOWED TO QUIT ON ME NOW, YOU HEAR ME?! THE SON GOKU I KNOW WON'T LOSE IN A WAY LIKE THIS; HE SURPASSES HIS LIMITS AND BECOMES THAT MUCH STRONGER!"

It was enough to spur Goku on. With a hallowed shout, the crimson energy that was flaring around him was forced into his skin, the whole of it become a shell of translucent blue. Cracking off, out emerged Perfected Super Saiyan Blue, steam spewing out of Goku's mouth and nostrils as he entered a state of absolute focus. Closing his eyes, Goku took a step back, his foot digging into the dense column's kachi katchin surface.

Opening his eyes, Son Goku let out a snarling howl, throwing out a single hand stretching out before the brightly thrumming space.

All at once, a hazy wave of heat followed a shockwave that slammed into the Genki Dama. Bowling backwards, the grey skinned warrior gritted his teeth, throwing his hand out further to halt its momentum. It slowed, but it continued to descend towards him, forcing him to twist his upper body around and gesture with his left gloved hand in addition. Officially wedging it between Goku's throbbing energy and his own, he'd pulse with a roaring flame of crimson energy that rose up around his body.

Gritting his teeth, Jiren would let out his own howl, unleashing a gale force pressure wave that sent the mass of spherical light shrieking against Goku's composed wave of _ki_.

"N-Ngh?!" The Turtle Schooler grimaced, finding himself throttled backwards, his heels grinding against the solid hardened substance with dust kicking around him. The Genki Dama was approaching even more quickly than before, and he was already at an arguably higher peak than he should handle. Grimacing, he closed his eyes, realizing this was a defining moment.

All or nothing.

"Goku?" Cell thought with a raised hairless brow. He'd watch the blue-haired man brace himself in a forward lean, his left leg stretched back with his cloth boots digging hard into the kachi katchin. His outstretched hand was now throbbing with erratic movement, his left arm bracing against his elbow to hold it still. Crackles of crimson energy began to conduct around his body with a flash of white coming off his body; a flash that showed a blend of red glowing off his gi, hair and skin piercing within his black pupil with a blue iris surrounding it.

"Kaaaaaaaaaaaaai," He exhaled, steam produced with tendrils of crimson lightning dancing around him.

"O!" Goku tensed, his body tensing with preparation. The Genki-Dama was about to touch the pillar of the arena, its thrumming energy still bristling with Jiren's _ki_. As his hair whipped violently with his undershirt, the Blue Saiyan would become a blend of crimson and azure as he'd out a magnificent howl to vocalize his technique.

"**KEEEEEEEEEENNNNNNNNNNNNNN!**"

The boisterous yell culminated into a rippling dent into the circular technique. The positive energy ability throbbed, straining audibly with a monstrous groan while descending at an angle back down towards its opposing force. The sheer propulsion of its new source of velocity began to shake the very fabric of the World of Void.

Tendrils of white light sprang from the famed godly made power of North Kaio, snapping at the earth and blowing apart its surface without any warning. The fighters surrounding the space began to sprawl backwards, moving further from an impending blast that could surely annihilate them on the spot, even if unintentionally.

Jiren's shaking hands pushed back against the tangible field of energy guiding the immense bomb of light. He could feel his own heels digging into the ground of the crater he was partially submerged in. His body sliding back by several meters just to keep steady and not allow the explosive wave collide into him. The stoic warrior of Universe 11 could feel a colossal energy that could potentially harm him in a significant way, or throw him off the ring at the very least.

At this realization, he lowered his arms and closed his eyes, the energy still coming off him in a pure wave of force. Opening them, he'd throw the bomb back with just the power of his glare. The sneer on his face was evident of his determination as much as his annoyance at his opponent's persistence. _How far will he go before he finds out his own futility?_ He'd wonder.

Even still, the energy presiding between the pair wasn't enough to push it one way or the other.

The explosive orb began to shrink, pushing back to a middle ground between the Universe 11 and 7 champion. The airspace warped on a visual spectrum, the twinkling star on one end high up on the pillar of the arena's timing pyre and the softly burning red on the other hand. In between was a spherical bomb, pressed by two conical waves of visible air waves. Contracting, the divine blast would expand, pressing against both opposing forces in an act of resistance against the pair of massive energies.

While Goku struggled and Jiren endured, the spectators of the mesmerizing event began to comment on the uncertainty of the overall outcome.

"Mmmmm, this is a fine _ki_," Arak of Universe 5 proclaimed, stroking his piercing gills as his red-haired body was reclined back, taking the conflict in a much more casual manner. Given his Universe was exempt from obliteration, he was fine waiting for something to actually happen before becoming fully invested. This clash of powers was certainly amusing, to say the least, but nothing quite like the complete destruction he's used to dishing out on planets.

"Neither one of them managed to acquire this strength through normal training," The Kaioshin of Universe 1, Anato, spoke with a soft smile of intrigue. His eyes drew in towards Jiren, the man stoically bristling with a calm wave of red energy while fixating his glare straight at the star-like orb of explosive power. "Especially, Jiren. I sense a far greater power lurking within his depths. It feels like an exercise of attrition and he has power to spare far more than any fighter present."

Expanding outward and then collapsing into a smaller state, the process repeated, releasing waves of force that rocked the foundations of the ring while striking the stands aggressively. This caused the aerial thrones of the two Zen'ous to shake, much to the bodyguards' chagrin, while the two tiny terrors giggled fiercely at this predicament. The Grand Priest smiled with enamored eyes fixed on the event below, now realizing why it was a good call to interrupt the fight between Toppo and Goku from before.

This was a much more interesting development than he thought possible.

"Lord Beerus," Whis began to say, the standing Hakaishin not turning but his left ear picked up his voice as he spoke. "Throughout the Tournament of Power, Goku has been getting stronger just through his scant battles with the other warriors of the Multiverse. Now that he's fought Jiren, he's reached a peak that he's never obtained, even against Zamasu. However," His eyes narrowed, seeing the violent vibrations distort Goku's visible body, the red rippling across his blue accented hair and his eyes beginning to ebb blood. "He's reached the limit of his limit. I don't see a way how he can endure this any further."

"He has to," Beerus intoned, his teeth bared and his hands shaking at his sides. Gripping in a loud squeeze, he punctuated with a guttural shout. "He's not there yet! He's almost reached his zenith, I can feel it!"

"Another vision of yours, Lord Beerus?"

"A gut feeling!"

"You've never said that before," Whis raised a hand up to his mouth. "I thought you put more stock into your foresight, even if it was wrong?"

"Just trust me, alright?!" The Hakaishin snarled, whipping his head around to glare at him with a swinging arm to point at Goku. "That man has exceeded all expectations in the past! He's my number one! He will find a way, just you wai-"

His voice caught in his throat as he heard a disturbing whine creep into the atmosphere. The shine of blue-etched white darkened, streaks of black now contorting within the epicenter of the Genki Dama itself. The hairs on his skin pricked up and he'd look on at the godly invented move with a stark amount of fear. This was a one in a million chance of happening but, he could tell exactly what was transpiring in front of him.

Vados, however, voiced her concern aloud to the nearby rotund counterpart of his.

"This looks dangerous," She muttered, almost whispering.

"Huh? Why's that?" Champa jabbed out, looking more in awe than he was scared.

"All of that energy is reaching its own breaking point," The Angel informed him, her eyes meeting Whis before looking back at Champa. "An entire team comprised of Universe 7's strongest warriors fused their energy into that orb. Even without taking a large portion, its a technique that needs only a sample before turning into a deadly weapon. With all of that densely packed in such a massive sphere, crushed by two opposing fields of _ki_-"

"Oh...oh that's bad," He mouthed out. Then he'd take his ears and yank them around his chubby cheeks while shrieking aloud in a panic. "OH THAT'S REALLY BAD!"

The Angels all knew what was coming. Raising their staves, they'd erect a joint barrier that'd cover the whole of the semi-circle shaped stands. The Grand Priest himself raised a pair of fingers and snapped them, creating a bubble around the throne platform for the Zen'ous and their guards. Continuing to watch without a barrier, the leader of the Angels placed his hands behind his back, watching intently for the inevitable outcome.

The fighters of every Universe felt the loose foundation of the kachi katchin splinters made by Kale rolling in and around the ring. Like an earthquake the whole of the platform was rattling under the pressure. The remaining members of Universe 11 stood with arms crossed and watching not far away, confidently pledging unspoken support to their comrade holding back the critical mass of life force. Universe 7's fighters looked on with trepidation, unsure of what kind of phenomena this was as this was the first time this every happened to the Genki Dama.

"Father," Gohan muttered, his hands gripping tightly at his sides while Piccolo gritted his teeth.

"Don't give up, Goku!" Kuririn cried out, his hands cupped around his mouth as he tried to scream over the raging force waves and the whine coming from the overloading sphere. "You got this! Just a little more!"

Tenshinhan tried to approach from the side, but the flooring was shaking too much along with new splinters of kachi katchin rising and sinking in front of him. Gritting his teeth he saw Vegeta crossing his arms and looking straight up at Goku. He wondered what the Saiyan Prince was doing. Why couldn't he go to help Goku give him the extra push?

The Cyborgs were lost amidst the chaos, their eyes seeing the darkened mass forming within the center of the Genki Dama with caution. They knew anyone who got too close to the bomb now would likely suffer a fate worse than being rung out. Muten Roshi's glasses were lit up with a bright reflection, and he -along with the trembling Cell Juniors- could tell this was a terrible situation.

Which left the Bio-Android, rooted in place, unable to form a coherent plan of action. He was too busy staring at the flashing light that peered off Goku's body. In any other situation he'd happily undo all of the effort the Saiyan martial artist had put in and gleefully watch him fail. But his very existence was in risk! How was he going to come back to life if someone like Son Goku was brought to ruin? He wasn't ready, nor prepared, to face someone like Jiren. He needed more time, he just needed to-!

"HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" Goku howled out, leaning forward more with his body becoming a ghostly silver with bluish-red energy petering off him.

It was in that instant, that last battle cry, that the Genki Dama collapsed. Happening within seconds, the width of the glow the energy maintained was reduced to what looked like a stream of bright lights siphoning into a black hole. The footing of the pillar faltered, cracking under the weight while a good chunk of it slid with him into the imploding vortex of energy.

"FATHER!" Gohan yelled aloud, his body lurching forward only to be held back by Piccolo.

"GOKUUUUUUUUU!" Kuririn screamed.

"No," Beerus gasped, his eyes blanching open as he reached out, watching everything unfold in slow motion. The blue-haired Saiyan fell into the abyss, his eyes blanking out while teeth clenched tight with veins about to burst along his flesh. Vanishing into the black Genki Dama core the sphere dropped into the earth, the kachi katchin distending like water.

And, just as Cell rushed to the edge of the pillar, he'd get to see what everyone did: a massive explosion. The detonation blew back debris of kachi katchin like deadly shrapnel, forcing a good swathe of the watching spectators and contenders to recoil at the sudden force of the blast. The barriers protecting the gods, the Zenous, were all spared and only made light rippling motions. Only the Grand Priest looked completely unfettered by the events, simply looking down with wide-eyed surprise.

There, within a good quarter of the arena, was a deep crater that looked neatly carved into the densest material of the Multiverse. Steaming with heat, they'd see not a hint of the Turtle Schooled Saiyan, just an angled pit that created its own extension to what was originally a flat surface. The whirlwind of smoke that cast across the arena was a thick smokescreen, disabling view of many of the combatants still standing.

Miraculously, no one was thrown off by the explosion as many had feared. The proof of the dense material soaking up what was likely a Universe erasing bomb was evidenced by only making a meager hole.

However, many people could see the absence of the fighter being the chief problem. Son Goku's energy, both mortal and divine, weren't present in the ring nor was anyone able to truly sense his life force of any kind.

"He's...dead?" Muten Roshi gaped, falling to his knees with disbelief. "No...he can't be!"

"Goku! Goku where are you?!" Kuririn cried out with tears welling up in his eyes.

"Father," Gohan muttered, closing his eyes, feeling his brows twitch and his body heat up with anger. "He killed him! That bastard Jiren!"

"Incorrect," The Grand Priest cut him off, assuring the combatants as much as the standing Hakaishin with a gesture to them all. "Goku's technique, the Genki Dama, pulled him into its gravitational pull. He has perished of his own accord as Jiren was merely defending himself. Thus there is no violation of the rules."

It was a deafening silence among the gods. There was the first slaying that transpired within the Tournament of Power and no one was disqualified. As long as the Grand Priest or Zen'ou ruled it as suicide or accidental, they couldn't cast blame on the one who survived.

"I can't believe it," Shin whispered with anguish, his eyes clenching hard with his hands bundling up on his tunic's pants. "Goku...is gone!"

Kibito tried to comfort his charge, pressing a hand on his shoulder. Looking to the Old Kaioshin, the man of mystic persuasion had narrowed his eyes, brushing his chin with decrepit fingers. Raising his brows, he asked with a baffled expression over his own face, "Elder Kaioshin...aren't you upset by this?"

"Death is relative," He hand waved, but he kept his face construed in a serious expression of focus. "However, something's odd. Isn't the Spirit Bomb only capable of harming those with evil in their heart?"

"Y-Yes?" The red-skinned Shinling answered, though with confusion.

"So, if that's the case, why would it kill Goku?"

It was that question that brought up Beerus, Piccolo and Cell's ears all at once. All three with exceptional hearing could tell something was amiss, regardless if they heard the elder god. Thusly, Beerus denied fate as the Zen'ous looked to their God-Pads© and growled to himself that this shouldn't be happening. As their fingers moved in, Piccolo's eyes thought he saw the epicenter of ground zero stir. And Cell could hear something beating deep beneath the cracked kachi katchin.

"_Am I hearing that right? Is that a...heart beat?_" Cell thought with widened eyes.

Just then, Beerus closed his eyes and a ominous throb brought to the fore of his vision. A figure, engulfed with a bright light, roaring to the surface with an immense presence about him. Lids raised and he'd narrowly glare ahead, simultaneously as Jiren's own closed eyes resumed opening with an expectant glare at the ground zero impact.

"_He's coming!_"

Synonymous with the 7th Hakaishin, a scream of light tore out of the crater, firing straight into the empty sky of the empty realm. Clouds of vapor separated, swirling around and crackling with tendrils of lightning that danced around the vista of the Tournament of Power. Within the silvery pyre of flaming light came a black silhouette, rising up in a gradual but deliberate manner. Stepping out of the hole that he crushed, the figure began to take more physical focus, the whole of the arena gaping with silent awe at emerging from the spot of his underground grave.

"Is...is that..."

"Dad?!" Gohan cried out with surprise, finishing for Kuririn as Team 7 looked on with equal shock from one another.

Cell himself was awestruck by the miraculous survival. The energy of Goku's he was certain had vanished in that instant. But now, upon closer look he saw the residual energies of every fighter was now thrumming around him in a beautiful aurora of colors that swirled up and around him calmly. With his hair now in its typical angled frayed scalp of black, the Bio-Android struggled to understand what was happening to the Saiyan he and his kin were programmed to kill years ago.

But, his eyes met Goku's. Silver rings now wrapped around a pair of contracted pupils. It was a type of detail that normally would go unnoticed but Cell found that Goku's eyes always had a consistency whenever he transformed. The Super Saiyan had a bluish green pigment, God was red and Blue had just blue. What kind of form was this? And if it wasn't a form at all, what had just happened?!

Jiren was currently flanked by his two compatriots having done so after he was finished with his battle with Goku. The grey skinned warrior took several steps forward, approaching the top of the crater's perimeter, angling his neck to look straight down. Balling his fists at his sides, he bristled with crimson energy, his black eyes had wisps of a hidden pupil of deep cobalt rings surrounding it.

"Son Goku," Toppo began to murmur, his mustached visage wrinkling as his vertical animal eyes glared at him with curiosity. "What has happened to you?"

"He's gotta be on his last legs," Dyspo intoned, leaning forward with a prepared posture. "If we rush him, he can't stand on them for much longer."

Before any of them could deliberate further, Goku took a step forward-

-and then leaped forward in a flying kick that instantly appeared where Jiren's head was an instant before. The grey skinned warrior lurched his body forward and downward, avoiding the lancing cloth covered boot shrouded in mystical looking light.

"He's-!"

"-so fast?!" Dypo finished for Toppo, the pair veering around with alarm as he was already being punched by a counterattack.

No, that was inaccurate. Goku's likeness was indeed struck but the real form had spun out of harm's way in a move as graceful as water arcing around a rock. Throwing his own punch in accordance, his fist met Jiren's gloved hand, the two's knuckles casting the whole of their location into an explosive flash of light that obliterated the dense mineral beneath them.

Leaping backwards in a flip that sent him skidding back close to where he emerged, the smoke that was kicked up parted with Jiren slicing through it with his own body's mass. With an arm pulled back he'd throw it with prejudice, aiming for the Turtle Schooler's head; instead, the Saiyan vaulted in a catapulting maneuver, punching at his face in the forward leap that ended him landing a few dozen meters away.

Jiren slowly turned back to look at Goku, the Saiyan admiring his hands as if to really bask in this current level of strength he possessed. Feeling warmth wet his cheek he'd raise his gloved hand and brush it aside, looking at it to confirm that he was cut by the edge of Goku's knuckle across his right cheek. Narrowing his eyes, he'd grunt, staring ahead at Goku's back with a higher raised guard.

"Son Goku!" Toppo bellowed, skidding on the angled descending wall of the pit along with Dyspo, crisscrossing with his colleague as he honed in on his target's solitary position. "Don't get full of yourself now you're in that form!"

"TAKE THIS!" Dyspo howled, spiraling in sync with his mustached companion to assault the standing Saiyan in a blur of momentum.

Goku's head was facing directly up front while the pair of figures were coming at either side to land a blow to his upper body or head. But, without even glancing in their direction his arms raised up in a rippling effect of transcendent speed and poised timing. Crossing his arms over one another, they'd grab both Dyspo and Toppo's extended attacks within the instant they were coming into contact-

-and then tossed them aside to either half of the Genki Dama formed crater.

"Those moves," Roshi spoke with a flabbergasted tone, pulling off his shades to confirm what he was seeing. "They aren't natural!"

"Goku's reacting perfectly to their attacks," Tenshinhan marveled aloud.

"Is...that really Goku?" Kuririn inquired with bafflement.

"The speed and power of his attacks are beyond normal," Gohan stated aloud, leering his head forward with suspicion. "This isn't even like what he was before, when in Perfected Super Saiyan Blue. What's happened to my dad?"

"It beats me," Piccolo chuckled dryly, smiling nervously as he observed it himself. "I'm seeing it with my own eyes but it's hard for me to process on my own.

"What became of you in that pit," The Saiyan Prince began to ask, his arms crossed and his eyes knitted into an intense glare of confusion. "Kakarrot?"

"Hnngh, why you-!" Toppo sneered, watching his partner skid backwards uncontrollably as he did the same to avoid slamming his back into the kachi katchin wall. Raising his bulbous long fingers, he braced his right arm as they glowed a molten orange-white . "JUSTICE FLASH!"

In a hail of explosive kikoha, Goku turned effortlessly around to avoid every successive shot. A line of fire extended behind his wake, the slow walking Saiyan uninhibited by the machine gun blasts of life force bullets sent in his direction. Silver eyes honed in on Jiren, the man now turning his full body to face his opponent head-on.

Once Toppo reached the top of the arena, the grey warrior raised his burned hand up to deter him, much to the Hakaishin candidate's disbelief.

Cell would then watch from his place up high as Goku would charge straight into a barrage of phantom punches. Jiren appeared as if he was standing still with his elbows cocked into his sides while his fists moved with automatic precision and expert timing. The martial artist responded with an uncanny adept response to each and every blow, ducking, weaving and leaping up over all of the attacks. Once the defensive multitude of attacks were evaded, he launched his own flurry of punches and kicks, forcing Jiren to defend himself.

The ground buckled beneath his boots, shifting along as he'd slowly but surely work his way up to physically maneuvering the whole of his body with the propulsion of their attacks. Parrying limbs slipped in and around each other, the two evenly matched in terms of reaction timing and speed. Leaping up and around the arena, everyone gave them a wide berth as they used the force of their own attacks to lift them into the air without the need of _ki_ to propel them in any way.

They were but blurs in the sky of the arena, no longer tangential to the others below. The titans that continued to strike at each other were utilizing nothing but a pure automatic motion to dictate their attacks. There was no strategy, no planned movement of cunning or even overwhelming power to throw at one another. It was just them moving their bodies in a way that could best counter the other without a single word spoken or a twitch indicated they could continue or halt at any point.

The movements alone stirred something within Beerus of a trembling foreknowledge. It brought bared teeth of partial resentment but also fear. It was the first time he had ever seen this movements emanating from a mortal; to have it happen was making him lose strength for his words. Closing his eyes, he permeated sweat as he finally spoke aloud what he had suspected.

"Ultra Instinct."

Champa's ear twitched first, his mouth gaping as he'd look towards Beerus before craning his obtuse neck back to gawk comically at the fight unfolding before his gaze.

"I see," Anato resumed speaking, his eyes now looking with more of an educated analysis of the phenomena unfolding before him. "Those movements, I thought I recognized them. But, for a mortal like Son Goku to have them..."

He trailed off, but the sentiment was shared by all the gods present, both participating and noncomittal ones alike. It was an incredibly disturbing sign that a human could achieve the rare and equally difficult to master technique such as Ultra Instinct. How had this come about? The whole situation felt incredibly suspect but they could do nothing but speculate and watch the event unfold.

"No-No-No-NO!" Belmod yelled out, standing upright with his hands clenching his orange-clown hair with a look of dismay crossing his face. "We had this in the bag! Goku was gone! How is this happening?!"

"It seems we underestimated his resilience as well as his skill, Lord Belmod," Marcarita of Universe 11 declared with a far more humored tone than what Belmod was expressing.

"To think Universe 7 had an ace up their sleeve of this capacity," Their Kaioshin colleague -Kai- spoke with disdain, narrowing his eyes over at the Universe 7 bench. "But it won't work. Jiren can't be beaten by a surprise, even by the likes of Ultra Instinct!"

"Ultra Instinct?" Shin inquired, looking confused with Kibito at the mentioning of it. "All the gods seem to know about it, but I don't think the Daio Kaioshin ever once brought it up. What is it?"

"It's a technique of the gods," Whis informed them, raising a finger with a simple smile, keeping one eye trained on the fight still ongoing between Jiren and Goku. "Some of the Gods of Destruction know it as the ultimate defense, the ability to react to your enemy's attacks without thinking and counterattack them in kind. I've been trying to teach Goku and Vegeta this method with little success," He turned to look ahead, watching Goku easily match Jiren's strikes while throwing his own in accordance to his body's will. "But it seems some of my training has buried deeper into him than I thought; at least, unconsciously."

"Unconscious?" Kibito questioned, blanching at Goku moving swiftly to keep up with Beerus. "Are you saying, he's not even aware of his surroundings? What's happened to him?"

"This is me speculating but," The Angel further explained, his eyes gazing farther beyond the fight and what he had witnessed only a scant minute or so ago. "Goku was in a form of ultimate focus, using the Kaioken to its ultimate limit over Perfect Super Saiyan Blue. That form is known for its beneficial control over its energy. When he fell into that collapsing Genki Dama, the clash between his base Super Saiyan instincts, his own Godly ki and the his undying will had caused a catalyst to have him break through the shell of his former self."

"Break through...the shell?" Shin inquired with his head angling to the side.

"You idiot!" The Elder Kaioshin bonked his successor on the head, much to his recoiling chagrin, raising a hand up to translate. "He means he got that Saiyan trait of coming back stronger from the brink of death! That's what he means!"

"You didn't need to hit me, ancestor..."

"So, where did he get all of that energy?"

"It came from the Genki Dama, obviously," Whis answered Kibito, looking back at Goku, now suspended in the air near where the tower presided above the arena. With his critical eye, he could see wafting steam emanating from his aurora of colors that made up his own aura. Pursing his lips together, he clenched his chin with a few pale fingers and spoke more honestly. "Though, that heat coming off him, I'm not sure about...how long Goku can keep up this kind of pace."

Even as all of this explained, Cell watched. He listened. And he felt the energy that petered off the man as he fought against a veritable god of mortal kind that surpassed even most of the divine. Spinning in the air, they glared silently, their senses razor sharp and their abilities primed for maximum capability. It was a transcendental kind of _ki_ sense that he had yet to tap into. While he prided himself on this kind of prowess what Goku had unlocked through physical trauma and what Universe 11's mightiest warrior gained through unknown lengths of training had granted them both esteemed battle power.

This was only exemplified when their arms swung at each other hundreds of times per millisecond. They produced wild ribbons lightning, springing outward in the beating drums of thunderclaps their arms made against one another. Lancing near the tower, Cell flinched, watching the two thrash at each other with no clear end in sight.

A feral roar, deep as the ocean and more monstrous than anything he heard come from Goku's voice before, signaled the first blow landed on Jiren since his initial reveal. A pair of knees slammed straight into his chest, causing the man to lean forward to cough up blood. Raised hands lifted up and then slammed into the grey fighter, following up with a two-handed _ki_ wave that sent the fighter spiraling downward till he crashed back into the pit from where their engagement started.

Using the momentum of his own _ki_ wave to bounce back to the pillar, Cell got the chance to see Goku up close. Coiling his body he'd fling himself like a lightning bolt from the mass of kachi katchin, howling out with fury with a raised fist and slam into the rising Pride Trooper. A pile of dust rose up into a mushroom cloud, blowing outward. A deafening stillness came from the stands as much as the ring itself. No one spoke a word nor moved a muscle, awaiting to see what had happened.

"I see. You Saiyans are an interesting breed of warrior. But..."

Jiren's voice growled dispassionately, his person now firmly clad in a thick red flame of _ki_. His feet was planted in the ground but little else was moved by the last mighty punch of Son Goku. The light that had swathed the Turtle Schooled Saiyan was now gone, the steam rolling off his body along with the last drop of his energy and his eyes shifted from silver to very alarmed coal eyes.

"...this heat," Jiren sneered, raising his slanted eyes up with a glare, his left palm humming with a swirling circle of crimson energy. "That's your limit, Son Goku!"

It was instantaneous.

The blow from his kikoha was far more in excess than even what was used to deter Kale. The Pride Trooper left nothing to chance as the whole of the crooked haired Saiyan was thrown off any foundation that could've braced him and flew straight across the space of the arena, out into the empty void. Before an eye could even acquire his location, he'd shimmer with a phantom pulse and the light of the attack faded with his own presence.

But, in the intervening moment of dealing with his opponent, Jiren had sensed and reacted to an incoming energy he recognized belonging to Universe 6. The outline of a dark trench coat adorned assassin thrust a straight jab into what looked like a burned palm, waiting for his attack, despite being virtually unseen through the thick cloud of smoke surrounding him.

A follow-up punch, however, struck his still sore abdomen from Goku's earlier knee kick and caused the mighty Jiren the Grey to stumble backwards. Clenching at his waist, the line of violet vanishing from his back as he'd regard the assassin with a visible grimace.

"Assassin of Universe 6," He declared, not even deigning the man worth speaking his name. "What are you doing?"

"My job," Hit declared, lowering his fists to his sides and standing straight up. "And today I'm no assassin. I'm a martial artist fighting for my Universe's survival; a title more befitting than an assassin, no?"

As Jiren grit his teeth, the gods of Universe 7 would see Goku's body appearing strewn in a heaping sack of molten heat and burns. Shin looked on in horror, the Elder Kaioshin's eyes bulging with fright and Kibito immediately rushing over to start healing the barely living Saiyan. During it all, Beerus sat down his face buried into his palms while Whis sighed with a shake of his head in disappointment.

Everyone on Universe 7 felt their stomachs form a pit when the Grand Priest made the announcement official, stating it for the record so everyone knew this was no accident.

"Son Goku of Universe 7 is out of bounds," He declared, smiling as he gestured to the Zen'ous to strike his name off their tablets. "The Tournament of Power will go on!"

* * *

**A/N**: Yes. That happened. I actually knocked Goku OUT of a tournament before it ended. It's almost like this should've happened sooner, you know? To give everyone else a chance to shine and help bring down the main antagonist instead of relying solely on a BS transformation; as if that was a flaw that shouldn't have been perpetuated so egregiously in this Arc!

As much as I enjoy the fights Goku was in after this point: Goku vs Kale and Caulifla, Goku vs Kefla, Goku & Vegeta vs Jiren and then the final showdown which ended with Freeza and 17? It just felt a bit contrived to keep someone who should've passed out dead from exhaustion coming back up over and over. Not even Goku Black shrugged off that much damage and stamina deprivation!

Not a whole lotta Cell in this Chapter but I made it in mind that this was Goku's one shining moment in this story. He got to do some things he wasn't able to in Canon, and I even gave him a bit more of a better send-off than he could've gotten ever. Jiren actually shows signs of taking damage instead of just shrugging off every blow until the Finale.

I know some people may not like the idea of Goku being ringed out, but this really isn't Goku's story. This is Cell's story. And the best way to return focus to Cell and solidify his main character status is to eliminate Son Goku from the arena. There's still plenty of tournament left for him to participate, and plenty of Team 7 to show usefulness in the future. Let's hope this story ends with a bang, and prove why this is a "Perfect Tournament".

Now to pass out from my own exhaustion of finishing this chapter...


	9. Perfect Timing!

Cell could barely fathom it. One moment, Son Goku had accomplished the unthinkable and achieved a power beyond simple transformations. His reaction timing flawless, his reflexes beyond Saiyan and his power completely fused through unconscious control over the totality of the Genki Dama. Even though one could argue his Perfect Super Saiyan Blue multiplied by the Kaioken had just as high if not a higher power draw, the backlash of it was too severe to outweigh the benefits.

He had caught wind of it from the crowds: _Ultra Instinct_. A technique known only to a select few of the gods, and even rarer among the Hakaishin that had recognized its use. It seemed only the Angels, from their visual neutrality to the miraculous occasion, had demonstrated perfect control over it. To passively possess abilities like these, the Bio-Android could only speculate just how high the bar set for strength is among this comical pantheon of theirs.

If he could have, Cell would've saved Goku if only to keep him long enough to study the effects of Ultra Instinct repeated. But, with more than fifteen minutes having transpired, the Perfect Being didn't know if the stress of tension would've aided him or hindered his progress. The one silver lining he concluded was that _ki_ sense was finitely tied into achieving a greater strength, as demonstrated by Jiren having no such technique but just as good if not better _ki_ sense than Goku himself had.

But now, his attention was strictly locked onto the battle happening below.

Hit, the assassin of Universe 6, was now battling the champion of Universe 11. He had managed to deal a blow against the Pride Trooper, seemingly being there one second and then appearing instantly past the elite warrior's guard. What was this phenomena? Teleportation? Or was this a _ki_ feint like Obni's power was?

With his hearing, he heard Jiren's voice breach the air as he stood upright, seemingly recovered from the blow dealt to him so soon after Goku's.

"Your Time Skip won't win you this battle," The Pride Trooper exhaled with a deadly glare emanating from his endless black orbs. "The next time you strike me, I'll catch you."

"If you think I need Time Skip to defeat you," Hit began to say, spreading his legs and keeping his hands in his pockets. "You clearly don't know why I'm the most feared in the Multiverse."

Twitching around his hairless brow, Jiren visibly sneered at the violet skinned, trench coat adorned fighter. The tension surrounding them was high, _ki_ seeming to rise up and snap bits of kachi katchin surrounding them. With the invisible wave of pressure bearing down the earth great enough to splinter the dense mineral material, the fight began with a seemingly intense vibrational flicker around space.

Following up with the instantaneous arrival of Hit landing a blow in Jiren's midsection. A loud pop filled the air, the strength of the martial artist's blow being enough to warp the fabric of the costume and embellish the shape of his fist into his flesh. Despite the line of _ki_ that shot straight out of the staunchly larger warrior's back, his heels remained rooted and his body was unaffected by the strike.

"Hm?" Hit reacted with a surprised grunt as he found himself stuck. Before his gaze he'd find his hand already caught in a bristling coat of crimson energy, tangibly hooking him in place by a thick vice. Looking up he'd grimace, his brow drawling a cold sweat as he'd see a crimson ray projecting from Jiren's deep inky orbs while a nearly invisible ring of violet where his irises should be burned with an intense amethyst flame.

Without saying a word, a barrage of phantom fists pummeled the trench coat warrior-

-only for them to pass through him completely, smashing into the face of the pillar with the outline of deep groves of fists.

Having been surprised by this phenomena, Hit managed to slip out of the energy binding him in place, and instantly threw a Time Skip kick across the Pride Trooper's abdomen. This time, the blow let loose a larger beam of purplish-silver light out of Jiren's back, causing his heels to grind backwards a few inches. Just as before, the weave of energy lapsed over Hit's leg and a multitude of nearly invisible fists punched towards him only for the assassin to phase through and escape Jiren's attack just as before.

"W-What's going on?!" Bellowed Champa, much to the distantly attentive Cell's annoyance. The fat cat god grabbed a hold of his cheeks and growled out with a fierce snarl. "How is Hit doing so little damage?! And why is Jiren just standing there?! How can he counterattack like that; this is cheating!"

"It appears Jiren's using _ki_ control in tandem with _ki_ sense," Vados declared, her eyes briefly glancing up knowingly at the Bio-Android, causing him to flinch a bit at her noticing him listening; even from this distance. "Hit's Time Skip's greatest strength is the enemy not knowing how it works nor if he's using it. Because Universe 11 knows of Hit's reputation, it is likely Jiren has prepared to face him since the mention of his Time Skip was streamed publicly across GodTube."

All Champa could do was bite his lower lip, hard enough to draw blood. He had made a spectacle out of trying to oust his twin Universe counterpart, and instead he had unintentionally given away most of Hit's skills in his match against Goku. Consequently, they knew more about the Universe 7 Fighter given he demonstrated pretty much all of the same techniques he had used against him; but with him gone, Hit now only had Pure Progress and his more advanced variant of his Time Skip ability.

In Cell's eyes, the assassin's current strategy wasn't going to last. Jiren was not only hampering Hit's ability to damage him by focusing his _ki_ into his chest but also ensnaring him to increase his chances of counterattacking. This would burn out the Universe 6 martial artist's _ki_ faster than the Universe 11 warrior's, simply because his control over _ki_ was greater and possessed a deeper reserve than the prior.

Then, something happened that made the Bio-Android reconsider this.

As Jiren was getting close to making full contact, with the assassin receiving several grazes amidst dodging he was also beginning to land more blows. It started with just a pair of precise punches in the abdomen and chest, then it was a kick to the kidney's and a chop to the collarbone with a fore-knuckle jab to the neck. Soon the grey-skinned warrior was finding himself pushed back, his once solid stance now staggering even as he upped the ante of attacks towards him.

"Oh! That's right!" Champa began to shout, covering his own mouth before he revealed what he was noticing.

**Pure Progress**. The ability of swift adaptation that allowed Hit to master all of his techniques in martial arts and Time Skip. Not only did it physically augment him to react quicker, become physically more resilient but it also swiftly evolved his prime ability. The technique was rarely used due to the lull of no rival to Hit; but since meeting Son Goku at the Universe 6 vs Universe 7 Tournament, he had been vastly improving his powers to heights he had never thought he could reach.

Just earlier, when faced off against Dyspo, he had adapted to the purple hare fighter through creating feints of his own Time Skip and physically improved his overall speed to match the quick-footed trooper. By the end of the battle, despite being roughed up, he had used Pure Progress to reach a level high enough to challenge the likes of even Jiren; demonstrated by his ability to continue attacking quicker and evade faster than the Pride Trooper was managing.

Even the energy bindings were not even working, as Hit would land the blows quicker than Jiren could lace his energy over him. The overwhelmed Pride Trooper continued his reserved stance, not buckling but still stepping backwards and skidding across the surface of the arena. The sheer multitude of blows he was now receiving was starting to climb up into the dozens, while his own stream of attacks were becoming harder to orient in the proper path. He had to abandon his plan to outright catch him with his _ki_ and simply enhance his defenses; the blows stung but with his guard up, it should do less damage than he was experiencing.

Not that Hit would know the merits of his hard fight.

"_I feel like I'm punching a planet!_" Hit thought, his red eyes glistening with streaks of crimson moving with his body as it continued to duck, spin and weave around the blows while constantly pushing himself forward into attacking the stoic guard of his adversary. "_The heat of his blows feel searing. Is this the kind of pressure you faced, Son Goku?!_"

Still he persevered. The martial artist spirit within him burned fiercely, far outpacing the assassin instincts within him that had largely been the cold shell of operation he had lived for most of his life. Goku had reignited the fire, and his example in fighting far beyond his own limits made him wish to do the same. Here and now, he'll prove to the likes of an immovable object such as Jiren that there was more than one unstoppable force in this Tournament of Power.

"_I'll surpass you!_" He thought, unleashing an even more intense barrage than the last. His blows now substantially heavier with seismic tremors radiating beneath their feet with the dozens of blows he was now throwing getting past his guard. The desired effect was revealed, as the face of the grey skinned combatant bared his teeth, ichor spewing between the cracks and out of his nostrils.

Jiren's eyes widened and his arms swiveled around to begin attempting to catch him. Swinging his arms around, the assassin now adeptly phased and leaped out of arm's reach each time he tried it. Consequently, the grey fighter's body was now engrossed into a thicker defense; subsumed in a bright veil of _ki_ that acted as a layer of armor

"JIREN!" Dyspo cried out, the still roughed up speedster crying out from a distance. His eyes blanched and his mouth agape at what he was witnessing. Their number one fighter was actually being overtaken by this assassin. Not only was the man outspeeding him, he was actually inflicting damage similar to what Perfect Super Saiyan Blue Goku was inflicting before. "Toppo! We gotta help him! He's in trouble!"

"Restrain yourself, Dyspo," The mustached burly senior of the Pride Troopers intoned, his eyes beading down at him with his arms crossed over his chest. "This is Jiren's fight. He would not wish you interfering."

"B-But-"

"Have faith in him," Toppo growled out, his face now aiming straight towards side of Jiren as he was still being closer and closer to the outer area of the ring. Despite the visible odds being placed against him, the unflappable candidate for Hakaishin was unwavering in his trust in his old friend. The black eyed superman of Universe 11 wouldn't go down, not like this when his wish had yet to be fulfilled!

Just as Cell was about to witness the climax of this fight, he had an inkling suspicion something was coming towards him. Turning his body around he'd swing his arm around to catch the entity that was about to strike, only to find it wasn't there.

In kind, he was struck from behind, causing him to fly forward across the top of the pillar before he stopped himself by anchoring his tail into the ground. Twisting around he'd unleashing a series of kikoha from his finger in an arc, casting a smokescreen as much as a deterrent to his attacker. From there he saw the outline of something lizard-like revealed with light refracting around it.

"Oh shi-!" It began to shout, just before the Bio-Android zipped straight into him with prejudice. The fist slammed so hard that it left an elliptical shockwave to blast over the top of the tournament grounds. Unleashing a kikoha into its approximate mid-center, Cell catapulted him into oblivion off the edge of the ring, teleporting him onto the stands shortly thereafter.

"Gamisalas of Universe 4 is out of bounds," The Grand Priest announced serenely with a smile on his face.

"Serves you right," Cell sneered, crossing his arms and hopping back to his original spot to spectate.

Scarlet eyes widened as he saw in the few seconds he had been gone, Jiren was now bordering on the last meter of the ring. Despite the fierce resistance the Pride Trooper was providing the assassin of Universe 6 had forced him back all the way to nearing out of bounds. The grey burned hand and white gloved fist were now a blur of motion, a stoic spread-legged stance slowing his push back, his black eyes narrowed at his foe. Opposite of him was Hit, who was now receiving blows but was still releasing attacks en masse with red eyes glaring ahead and his mouth etched into a near permanent sneer.

Despite the damage Hit was receiving, he persevered and was inching the Universe 11 champion back bit by bit. The multitude of attacks exchanged the two was almost imperceptible. Unlike the deadlock Goku had with the grey skinned martial artist with Ultra Instinct, Hit was the aggressor while Jiren was on the defense thanks to a combination of Time Skip and Pure Progress.

"No way! Absolutely impossible!" Belmod began to scream, his composure releasing thanks to the previous tense battle with Goku had ended barely with any real time to process the victory. With Hit homing in on the injured Jiren, he was now inflicting more damage than even the champion of Universe 7 had simply based on his skill and unique abilities.

Grasping his orange hair, the red lipped God of Destruction began to shriek out towards Toppo and Dyspo, "What are YOU doing?! HELP HIM!"

"No! Don't do that!" Champa bellowed back with a shrill tone. "Keep standing back and doing nothing!"

"That won't be very convincing, Lord Champa," Vados chided with a smirk, much to his derision.

However, Toppo was unmoved. He had all but put his trust that Jiren would emerge victorious. Even if he wasn't, he had respect enough as a martial artist and a comrade in arms that the man would at least accept his defeat with dignity rather than survive it stripped of his honor.

Dyspo, however, looked visibly conflicted. His respect for his colleagues was immeasurable, but his thoughts drifted towards Universe annihilation should Jiren fall. They couldn't afford him to be rung out, regardless of the personal consequences.

"DON'T LET HIM FALL OUT!" Belmod howled, anger radiating his voice and the air splitting at the force of it. A foot stomped and the stand split apart in two, the kachi katchin easily snapping apart as a veil of Godly _ki_ bristled around the enraged God of Destruction. The display of anger caused his normally reserved Kaioshin to look unnerved and Marcarita to even widen her eyes at his rare sight of temper tantrum. Pointing a finger, a threatening finger began to emit Energy of Destruction towards the two. "_I'll make you wish I could kill you if you don't do something this instant!_"

Dyspo's ears stood on end, his whole body shivering in place and Toppo's own expression shown concern for his own well being as well. The two have never seen the jovial acting Hakaishin express his wrath towards them. The Pride Troopers had never disappointed him in a way like their current losses had in this tournament, with Hit already ringing out Kunshi earlier and nearly defeating Dyspo thanks to Son Goku's timely interference. When they lost near the largest bulk to Kale and Caulifla, Belmod had shown shock but not anger; which proved how much he valued Jiren even between the three.

In the heat of the moment, the attention was shifted off of the battle itself and the alarm was raised when they saw the edge of the ring behind Jiren's heels. The pair plus the gods in the stands looked on in horror as Hit had successfully brought their mightiest champion to the perimeter of the tournament ring. Jiren himself, looking stressed as both he and Hit were drawn out to labored breaths, the damage inflicted equaling out to Hit's own tiring despite the use of Pure Progress.

Another flicker of movement and the assassin threw his full weight into this Time Skip led attack.

It hit Jiren but not his mid center but an open palm instead.

"I caught you, assassin," Jiren graveled out, his eyes glaring and his _ki_ flaring out in a thick crimson flame. "It's-!"

Nothing.

The Pride Trooper became immobile, as his open palm was now outstretched and his whole body was embroiled in a thin curtain of violet energy. From his perspective, space had become fractured and a whole dimension had folded over him which time was placed into a stasis. No matter his strength, Jiren was now held captive by Hit's greatest technique developed in his first fight against Son Goku: Time Prison.

"I knew you'd catch my next attack; which is why I saved this technique for last, my least assassin-like move," Hit declared, his body now erupting into a halo of cobalt light, emulating the energy output Universe 7 likened to do. Pulling back an amethyst alight fist, the permanent scowl of Jiren could do nothing but stare ahead as he threw his fist towards his face. "Say hello to Son Goku in the stands, Jiren!"

The whole world slowed to a crawl as a pair of hands touched the kachi katchin floor with outstretched feet primed by the tips of the boots. A thin veil of purple energy lit up along his body and, within a split second, shot across space in a spiraling motion. Tearing through the fabric of light as it peeled back around him, the interceptor corkscrewed around, curling his body around in mid-pull to throw himself into a double-lancing kick towards the similarly glowing fist heading towards the imprisoned Jiren.

"Ngh!" Hit gasped, finding his arm repelled by the force of the suddenly charging Dyspo.

Staggered backwards, the assassin was suddenly encased into a pair of bulbous arms and a vicious body lock was placed on his upper body. Having sapped his energy to trap Jiren, he had little in the way of continuing to fight. Grimacing he'd try to struggle only for the vice grip to tighten around him, forcing him to shout out in pain.

"Release Jiren!" Toppo demanded with a defined shout.

"As if...I'd agree to th-AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT!" Hit screamed, feeling his body warp painfully inward, bones snapping and ribs cracking. Blood spewed from his mouth and nostrils, the injuries he withstood against Jiren having been lessened as he had guided his adversary's blows against non-vital areas. But Toppo made no reservations as he felt his body begin to crumple under his ruthless grip.

"You should know," Dyspo grinned maliciously, his slanted eyes scowling at the assassin. "Jiren may be our strongest player, but Toppo was chosen as candidate to be a God of Destruction. He's had little struggle so far wiping the floor with everyone, so don't expect to get free of him now."

Cell knew now that this was a defining moment. Even as Hit was being tortured physically by the Pride Troopers, Jiren was slowly moving away from the edge of the ring. Moving through sheer will and might of his deep reserves of energy, the elite warrior was attempting to put distance between himself and disqualification.

Raising a pair of fingers, the Bio-Android knew if Hit was defeated here, then his own plans for achieving resurrection and more would be for naught.

"You better do it before your spine snaps, haha!" The purple hare jeered, taking special joy at seeing the man who embarrassed Universe 11 suffer at the hand of Toppo.

"I take no pleasure from this," Toppo snarled, his arms flexing past his costume sleeves and his perpetually bulging veins throbbing along his brownish-yellow head with visible pulses. "But my superior demands it, and I don't wish to see my Universe become annihilated. My honor will mean nothing if I don't wi-"

In an instant, his words and efforts were halted by an instantaneous triage of strikes on all sides.

"NGH?!" Toppo released hold of his captive, the bloodied and bruised Hit falling crumpled to the ground. Swerving around, Toppo and Dyspo bore witness to the remaining three Cell Juniors, now embroiled in the majestic mantle of transcendent energy of Perfect Gold -or was it Golden Perfection?-. With significant sources of energy remaining hidden until this very moment, the mustached man could only attribute it to being the trait replicated by Universe 4's own warriors when Cell had absorbed Hop from before.

"Nah-Nah-Nah!"

"Boo-hohohohohoho!"

"Blah-Blah-Blah!"

The three Cell Juniors all made childish taunts towards Toppo and Dyspo, the pair glaring with infuriation and outrage at their interference. Their fingers stuck in their noses, mouths stretched and wagging their tongues, and palms clapped against their cheeks while wagging their heads back and forth. The jeering they made was more than enough for Cell himself to appear between Dyspo and Toppo.

"Wait-!" Dyspo turned first, having heard the use of the teleportation before even Toppo twisted his own head around to address him.

Without even a word, the Bio-Android swung both arms outward to encase both of them in Light Capturing Shells. Agape for but a moment, they'd be propelled to either side of the arena, poised to explode moments afterwards. In the time that'd transpire, the Perfect Being knelt down and underhand tossed Hit's brutalized body towards the Cell Juniors, the three of them catching him in a way that wouldn't further harm his broken form.

"Take him to our mutual _acquaintance_," Cell ordered, a dark smile stretched across his face as he saluted his three spawn. "They'll know what to do with him."

"Gehehehe!" The three giggled sinisterly, leaping up and hopping swiftly across the ruined battlefield of the tournament of power's arena.

Mere seconds as that happened, Cell felt an overwhelming intent to kill from behind him. He'd not get a second before he'd see a dying Sun's flame alight around a titan that towered over him. The impression was cleared as his eyes saw a fiery fist the size of a planet was moving towards him. The Bio-Android received a hint of a pair of black eyes with small rings of violet flame glaring behind the disproportionate projection of malice was noticed by him.

Which was halted by a instantly erected dome of emerald light surrounding himself. It concave towards him, warping with the impression of a massive energy attempting to bludgeon him.

"_It's taking all of my focus just to keep this from hitting me!_" Cell thought with alarm, his eyes stretched with alarm and his body shaking under the pressure he was undergoing. "_He didn't even hesitate to throw a punch made to kill; I must have really pissed him off!_"

While the halo adorned Android knew it'd take more than tearing his head clean off from his body to slay him, he didn't want to endure such a thing when regenerating took up more energy than he'd care for. He had experienced first hand in his battle against Goku that regenerating a full half and then taking a bombardment of kikoha had actually winded him despite having plenty of energy to spare. It was why he was being cautious with expending his _ki_ up to this point; though now he'd be lucky if he'd live through this move!

"Grrrrrrrr!" Cell growled out with intense focus, feeling himself push away from the arena and further back as the whole of his barrier was focused on the bending intrusion of Jiren's rage-fueled punch. He could practically feel the heat on the other side of the thin outline of emerald folding over it, eyes widened palpably as he'd feel the full weight of how mighty Universe 11's strongest fighter was.

Then, Jiren pulled back, the recoil enough that the barrier tore apart with the retraction of such an intense fervor of energy. What had caused it was the sudden emergence of a stinger shaped protrusion erecting from the floor at an angle aimed for the lower pelvis. As stinger pulled back under the earth it'd compress behind Cell's wing-mounted back, the Bio-Android visibly shaken at his last second ploy to deter his aggressor.

"You helped him escape. Why?"

Jiren's question was unnervingly calm compared to the split second of intent to murder him. Seeing both Toppo and Dyspo arrive moments later, he had figured the absence of them being announced ringed out that his gambit only bought him some time. The reason for their arrival being delayed was likely the overwhelming force their comrade had put into attacking him. Though at a distance of a dozen meters, it was clear they didn't wish Cell to escape but were too afraid of Jiren's current disposition to do more than that.

As Cell smiled a bit and stood straight up, realizing the man was impressed by his ability to take what was essentially a full powered punch without being reduced to mincemeat. That, or he was genuinely curious to the answer he'd give.

"I'm sorry to cut in like that, but I couldn't just let things end there," Cell announced, waving his arms around to arch them onto his hips. "I'm sure you didn't like how your buddies interfered either. Not very sportsmanship to interrupt a duel that was decisively concluded to one's own favor. That pride of yours must be stinging for you to attempt to take it out on me."

Jiren quietly slanted his eyes into a thin-lidded glare.

"Did I touch a nerve?" The Bio-Android inquired with a cock of his head, his smile now deepening. "You know, had you killed me, you would've been erased just now. I wonder how that'd be any better than being ringed out, hm?"

"Enough!" Toppo bellowed out, his fist swinging out dramatically into a flat palm. "You've sullied Jiren's pride enough as it is! Speak no more, villain!"

"Oh _I'm_ the bad guy?" Cell inquired, turning to look over his shoulder at the mustached warrior's vein throbbing face. "Then tell me, hero. What exactly was it that you were doing to a man who fought to the best of his ability against your comrade? That certainly didn't befit the modus operandi of a hero, now does it?"

"You-!"

"There is no such thing as good and evil in this tournament. Only survival. Yet you cling to principles that have no place here, and don't even follow through on them," The Perfect Being derided with a glare, now turning to look at Dyspo behind Jiren with a sneer etched on his lips. "You self righteous hypocrites are the _worst_ kind of hero. I'll enjoy taking that pride of yours and grounding it beneath my heels."

Dyspo became incensed at what Cell said. Performing Light Bullet, he'd streak towards the Bio-Android before he'd find his shoulder caught by the burned palm of Jiren. Jerked to a stop, the purple hare froze and cold sweat immediately sloughed off his visage at the sudden coldness sweeping over him. Turning to look over, he'd see Jiren's glare poised at him, making him realize his move while good in the eyes of his godly superiors had done nothing to earn respect from his fellow trooper.

"I'll move to acquire more power before challenging the lot of you," Cell tapped the side of his head, smiling as he'd phase out with Instantaneous Movement. "Ta-Ta!~"

Evaporating before their eyes, Toppo turned his head every which way but found his energy had vanished. Grimacing he'd look to Jiren whose body began to walk towards the crater that he was pushed out of by Hit. Dyspo and him looked on as he didn't say a word, simply keeping his back to them as he'd descend into the hole that was made out of Goku's Genki Dama.

Kneeling down, he'd enter a cross legged stance, his body becoming engrossed into a thick red aura and his eyes closed with hands folding into a practiced meditative clasp. His body rose up in defiance of gravity, levitating him strictly above the hole that Goku had emerged from, focusing his _ki_ into a deep trance that none could see what he was viewing. But inside, he had placed the effigies of Hit and Goku side by side, the pair placed into fighting postures with himself standing before them.

"It is...best we don't disturb him," Toppo intoned gravely, turning to walk away with his head hung in shame.

"H-Hey!" Dyspo turned, raising his hand up towards his retreating partner. "We did the right thing, Toppo! If he was disqualified, we'd likely be punished by Lord Belmod! And worse, we might lose the tournament-!"

"Dyspo," Toppo stopped, his mustached face turning to look sullenly towards him, his eyes twitching as he spoke with a snarl beneath his mustache. "Have you so little faith in yourself and us that you'd abandon all the tenets of the Pride Troopers?! What good is our honor if we have nothing left to fight for when we return home the victor?! Has that even crossed your mind, Dyspo?!"

"I-I...just..."

"Do what you must to stay in Tournament of Power, Dyspo," Toppo morosely spoke, his head aimed towards the endless abyss as he stood in place with his arms hung limply at his sides. "As for me, when all of this said and done, should I win...I will no longer be Toppo of the Pride Troopers. After this instant, I realize how much folly I've incurred by failing to live up to my own standards."

Dyspo looked on in shock. Gritting his teeth in place, tears welling up in his eyes he'd watch the large behemoth of his colleagues leap up and out of the view, leaving him all alone. Balling his hands into fists, he'd swear aloud before he'd dissipate in place, leaving Jiren to meditate with deep concentration away from the constant battling occurring outside of his view.

* * *

"Nnnnnngh," Hit grimaced, his eyes weakly opening as he felt a warmth lapse over him. Rejuvenation filled his body, a tranquil state of healing kneading his body back from the brink and his energy being restored. Blinking away bleariness of his unconscious state, he'd look around, seeing himself surrounded by a trio of blue carapace spawn of Cell; his Cell Juniors. Leaning over him from above his head was the familiar snout of the bespectacled Mohawk tressed bipedal boar, Doctor Rota.

"Rota?" He weakly inquired.

"That's Doctor Rota to you!" He harrumphed with indignation. His hands were busy placed on either side of his head, imbuing a layer of translucent golden energy that was currently embalming Hit's whole being. "You're lucky these little things brought you straight to me. You were in such disrepair I'm sure you would've perished if left unattended."

"I'm...harder...to kill...than that," Hit weakly spoke, breathing with slow deliberate inhales and exhales to keep the pain to a minimum. "Care...to...explain how I...got here?"

"They brought you here, finding my hiding place," The red boar explained, gesturing to the pile of kachi katchin that was encased in a layer of mystical looking energy surrounding them in an obtuse dome of sorts. "Part of my ability, beyond hiding, was also to heal and sap the life force of many beings of my choosing. It was why I was chosen for this Tournament of Power, yes. For I'm no fighter but my powers are quite capable of being of use."

"But...why...did Cell...save me?" The martial artist of Universe 6 inquired. "Did these...things...explain?"

"Nope," Rota shook his head, shrugging his plump shoulders with ignorance. "But, if I had to place suspicions, it might have something to do with that Frost fellow."

"Frost?"

"Yes," Rota nodded with affirmation, elaborating to him as he looked up at the Cell Juniors, the trio of Cell's spawn casting glances around while scratching an arm pit or the top of their crest covered head. "Frost was a public hero of our Universe, all while duping everyone that he wasn't responsible for being in charge of the most notorious pirate organization takes a silver tongue and a talent in acting. That kind of devious thinking and compulsive lying is difficult, and shows his ability to form alliances no matter how treacherous they seem with the unlikeliest of people."

"So...they're working...together," Hit determined, his eyes looking up past the veil of magic that was keeping his energy to a minimum. "To think they could find you...even after all your talents of obscuring yourself."

"You found me, in order to recruit me into this folly of a tournament," Rota berated him, snorting with annoyance. "If Cell is as perceptive as he seems, it is unlikely I could hide from him. It is unlikely I attract his attention, given how weak my _ki_ is to his senses."

"Still, this seems suspicious," The assassin determined with his eyes closed. "He wouldn't risk so much if he didn't think I'd benefit him."

"Perhaps he was impressed by your abilities that he thought he could use you against Jiren in the future?" Rota surmised with speculation. Huffing, he shrugged, continuing his task with earnest. "Now quiet! I must resume concentration of my talents on your broken body!"

"Fine," Hit sighed. "But the moment we're under attack, I'll move no matter how much you fuss."

"I'll paralyze you if you try!"

"Heh."

"Don't smirk at me, you cold blooded killer!" Rota snorted with anger.

"Snort-Snort-Snort!"

"Hey! Don't mock me, you little blue devils!" The boar pointed a finger at the Cell Jr. to his left, angrily berating them with even more fierce snorts. "I am Doctor Rota, and I'm not one to be trifled with!"

"Snort-Snort-Snort!"

"Snort-Snort-Snort!"

"Snort-Snort-Snort!"

"Get lost, you foul beasts!" The boar howled, his body unleashing a triage of hooves from his body, mystically bowling the trio out of his dome and back outside. Huffing with anger, he retracted the pseudo-appendages back into his body, and returned to his work just as before. "I swear, I hope Frost knows what he's doing, less he drags us into his sick game; less we all pay the price for it."

* * *

**A/N**: Happy Halloween! Here's a terrifying display of power and perseverance, Hit vs Jiren! Yeah, kinda weird that Toei conveniently forgot Hit's Pure Progress ability in his fight against Jiren. It's almost like they nerfed him for the sake of allowing him to win in an arguably embarrassing fashion compared to his equal rival that was Goku. What was the point of having an entire several episodes of Hit *killing* Goku and taking him to the point he'd be trembling with fear if Hit didn't go anywhere in the Tournament of Power?! I know it might seem a bit contentious but given how drastically different in execution the manga and anime are from each other, I doubt anyone would mind be combining aspects of both to give Hit the fight he deserved against Jiren.

And yes I did some actual *character development* with Jiren, Toppo and Dyspo. The three always had a visibly strong bond compared to the rest of the Pride Troopers (obviously to reflect the relationship Goku, Vegeta and Piccolo had to each other). With such a devout sense of right instilled into their beings -though that could be debated given how Jiren heel turns into a 180 of his character in the final three episodes- it obviously would be challenged should they be forced to go about doing something against their ethics. A bit of a stronger implementation of that, anyways, compared to the "Agh, I was nearly beaten by Hit, I guess I need to fight dirty," or "Agh, my back was hurt, I guess I'll become a God of Destruction,". This will at least set up their future roles in the story, better than how it was handled originally, haha.

Finally, we get to see what we could've gotten with Dr. Rota. It was said in the Manga, he had magical abilities...but was knocked out before showing it...much like the Anime negated to show off his "special power" two different occasions. I don't mind characters being ringed out for a gag, but Rota was a part of Universe 6, the Universe we've known the longest in Dragon Ball Super. I'd rather see what the twin universe of 7 has to showcase. So I gave him magical powers of a vague kind along with the ability to heal "hence his title of doctor being applicable". Hope that gives a few people chuckles; gave the Cell Juniors something to do and some comedy with their childish dialogue.

Where will Cell's alliance with Frost end? What plans does the Bio-Android menace have in store for Hit, and will the Pride Troopers' trust in each other waver from this point on? Find out, in the eventual update of A Perfect Tournament!


	10. A Perfect Design

Future Zen'ou was so pleased. He had never seen such creative ways of fighting before. His own Universe's timeline was so boring. Had he known the joys of tournament battles he'd have arranged for them so much sooner!

"This is so much fun, right?" Present Zen'ou asked his cosmic counterpart, his smile small but stretched as widely as he could.

"Mhm! This is a lot of fun!" Future Zen'ou replied with a fervent nod of his football shaped head.

"Lord Zen'ou," The Grand Priest turned his attention to the pair, floating up to them with hands clasped behind his back and blue eyes looking over to them. "Are you pleased with the Tournament of Power."

"Yeah-Yeah!" Future Zen'ou and Present Zen'ou cried out with affirming glee. "This is so fun to watch!"

"I'm pleased to hear it," He closed his eyes with grinning acknowledgement. "Have either of you looked at your GodPads?"

The pair looked down, admiring the list of warriors per the Universes struggling for survival. Each list was part of a ring, with colored circles representing their current contention for victory while grey-outs were considered erased. Looking at the chart, they saw that Universe 9 and 10 were eliminated, leaving six Universes remaining. Of the fighters involved they began to count, though the process was slow due to their childish nature.

"Ummm, uh...is it...29?" Future Zen'ou asked curiously.

"Didn't you count that one twice?" Present Zen'ou inquired inquisitively.

"I'll give you the answer, if you want it," The Grand Priest asked with a patient smile. Seeing them bob their head, he raised a finger up, creating a line of _ki_ that circled around and carved the imprint of a number: 31. "There are now thirty one fighters left in the Tournament of Power."

"Woooooooooooooow!" The pair of Zen'ou raised their arms up from the GodPads resting on their robed laps.

"From your judgement, who do you think is in the lead?" Their caretaker proposed with a gentle inquiry, despite the constant explosions and sounds of battle cascading below them.

"Ummmmm," The two Zen'ou raise their fingers up to their mouths, unblinking eyes staring opposite directions. Then, they raised their fingers and announced independently of each other.

"Universe 7!"

"Universe 11!"

For a moment, they both were convinced, their smiles agape. Then they looked at each other, confused as their soulless eyes stared into each other.

"Why do you think that?" They mimed to each other. Laughing at this, their mood returned to being jovial as one explained after the other.

"Universe 7 has lost only one member of their team," Present Zen'ou proffered with a cheery grin. "Even though I didn't think Goku would lose, and all of his Buwaaaaah and Ooooooooh! They're all fighting really well!"

"Well, I think Universe 11's suuuuuuuuuuper strong!" Future Zen'ou expressed with his arms waved around, attempting to flex in a cutesy way only he could attempt to do. "Jiren beat both Hit and Goku, who were both reaaaaaaaally strong!"

"Mhm, those are good points," Present Zen'ou crossed his chest with both arms, nodding with acceptance.

"I know right?" Future Zen'ou giggled with a raised finger.

"Anything can happen, now that less than half remain," The Grand Priest said in a lacksadaical manner.

After saying that, his eyes furrowed. Looking around the environment of the Tournament of Power he saw that apart from some separations in the clouds and shaking it received, nothing really looked different about the empty void surrounding them. With a smirk, he raised both hands up and snapped both sets of fingers.

"Let's change up the scenery!" He announced, casting the entirety of the vista in a swirling maelstrom of colors. What was once a black backdrop with violet-like clouds filling the emptiness was now a miasma of lime and emerald hues. The striking contrast comparably lit a fire under everyone's pants, now giving them the fathoming that they had entered the next stage of the tournament.

"58.324 Tacks (also known as 28 minutes for those who use that metric of time) remaining until the Tournament of Power ends!" The Grand Priest announced, and with that announcement came a segment of the pillar twisting down into the centerpiece and out the bottom of the floating top shaped arena. "Thirty One of you remain. Continue fighting for survival, everyone. And do your best!"

"Do your best!~" The two Zen'ou declared with childish glee.

The Tournament of Power continued onwards.

* * *

Gohan was feeling the stress.

His father had just been knocked out of the ring, leaving the entire team of Universe 7 deprived of arguably its strongest fighter. None of them had been quick enough to stop him from being flung out nor were they even aware of it until too late. One moment he had been in a completely different league than those of his competition; the next he was powerless and thrown completely back by a merciless blast by Universe 11's champion.

He had to keep himself from staring up with shame, his father was a complete pained wreck when he arrived on the stands. Kibito had set out to heal him of his injuries, making use of his own Shinling powers as a follower of the Kaioshin. With no means of expression his concern to his father, he had tensed up and renewed battling Nigrissi, taking out his frustrations on the modified warrior of Universe 3.

Hurling a slew of punches towards the machine man, the cybernetic warrior ducking and weaving out the way with adept movement. When Gohan pulled back to hurl a kikoha, Nigrissi vanished in a flicker of light, leaving the half Saiyan awestruck at the new ability that was unveiled. Defusing the _ki_ blast, he held himself in a spread-legged defensive stance, his eyes peering around to search for the fighter as the sounds of battle shook around him. Closing his eyes he breathed slowly, heightening his Saiyan senses to pick out the slightest detail that'd leave his opponent exposed.

When a distant clash of the two Nameccian fighters clashing against Vegeta's fists against their raised arms released a blasting wind of dust, the sound of pelting debris struck something solid directly to his left.

Opening his eyes, he twisted around and fired a kikoha straight at the spot, revealing a flickering blur in the form of Nigrissi .

"You've got some good senses," The modified humanoid complimented, having back flipped to land on an erect slab of kachi katchin on all fours. Slowly standing upright on the erect pile of debris, his razor yellow teeth spread ear nub to ear nub, framed by hideous red lips as his green visors for eyes glistened with intrigue towards the half Saiyan. "In the week spent preparing ourselves, we have deduced your abilities, Son Gohan and determined your weaknesses. You've changed drastically since this time that so much of our data is now fallible. How is it an organism like yourself deprived of our vastly superior technology has increased in performance so much?"

"I have a good teacher," Gohan smirked, standing upright to address his opponent with respect. "And we Saiyans tend to perform best when under stress in a tense situation. A battle for survival is the kind of thing that improves my abilities the longer I spend fighting."

"I see," He raised a green talon, tapping it against his rounded pale chin as his smile turned upside down. "This is something I wish Pararoni and Ea had studied more fervently in advance. I suppose our own belief in our technology has hindered us from anticipating this development."

"You can always find someone else to fight," The Half Saiyan proposed with a taunting smile, his brows knitting into a challenging glare. "I'm just using you to let off some steam, after all."

"Oh right," Nigrissi struck his left fist into an open palm. "Son Goku was just disqualified, wasn't he? That must have been so embarrassing, given he was your progenitor; quite disappointing, isn't it?"

The son of Goku went silent at this.

"What's wrong?" Nigrissi grinned maliciously, emerald eyes glowing menacingly with arms outstretched with open invitation. "Don't tell me that's all it takes to discourage you-?"

A sudden shrill scream of energy erecting itself upward brought Nigrissi 's voice to an abrupt halt. Gohan's hair became more erect, a bang arched in a waving pattern over his broad brow and his clothes rippled with undulating movement of gravity defying debris rising around him in the pale-white inferno that thrummed violently around his body in jagged tongues of _ki_. His own emerald visors for eyes were flickering with data he was receiving and he looked stunned at the level of power he was in the billions of _volz_.

"Incredible," Nigrissi exclaimed, moments before the glaring face of Gohan was now but inches from his own.

Swiveling away at the last instant, the modified warrior of Universe 3 barely avoided the attack before raising his arms to defend against a follow-up strike that he couldn't tell if it was a punch or a kick. Crashing through a layer of kachi katchin, the cyber-man rolled in a tumble that ended with him clawing into the stage's floor to draw himself into a halt. Looking up, he'd see a kick lance straight towards his face and he'd spring his body in a backward forming U to avoid the whole of the kick; though he wouldn't avoid the twisting kick that Gohan made in mid-momentum towards his bent chest back the way he came earlier.

Flailing into a cracking impact against the Tournament of Power's central pillar, he visibly flinched and hunched over with a visible shake to his body.

"_His energy control is so precise, that he wastes hardly any no matter what method of attack he uses,_" Nigrissi deduced, watching Gohan slowly approach him through the shapely hole in the debris that was formed by his own body. "_Not only that, but the energy seems to be increasing the more we fight. I thought I was evenly matched with him minutes ago; where did this strength come from?_"

"You should know," Gohan expressed coolly, his feet stepping deliberately one after the other as his snow colored aura continued to ebb off him in waves. "I've actually been getting stronger since we clashed. I can't explain it but ever since I trained with Piccolo my battle senses have unlocked this feeling that I haven't felt since fighting Majin Buu. At this rate, there's no telling how much stronger I'll become," He then stopped, only a handful of meters away from the baffled Nigrissi . "_Maybe I'll even surpass my dad just yet._"

Nigrissi grinned, despite his own organic feelings telling him how outmatched he felt being pitted against this virtual endless reservoir of strength. He remembered how his own Kaioshin had praised him to be the strongest modified soldier ever created. Those words had propelled him to survive clashes with the likes of many different combatants throughout this tournament so far. He had yet to fall thus far...

...it was time to show why he was the strongest.

The half Saiyan stopped his approach, the hairs on his neck standing on end at a sudden change in his robotic opponent. His eyes widened, the machine man shake with his yellow abdomen contorting till it shifted a solid lump from within towards the center dividing his lower body from his pectorals; emerging it became an ominously glowing crimson orb. Sprays of light shined in an optical circular rotation, engulfing the modified creature with its energies that began to shift radically physically to an extraordinary degree.

Dull green talons began muscular fingers of viridescent hue that was almost black. The glowing violet lines around his thighs and shoulders pulsed erratically, shifting the blue fore arms and shins to the upper arms and thighs into black and and red. The lime colored lenses deepened into a pair of thin arches of gold, the nubs of ears stretching up in arcs that conducted energy around its tips; with his face becoming coated in a deep blood red along with his shoulders. The output of power was ferocious enough that the floor plating beneath him shattered, with webbed fractures stretching every way even to the back of the pillar.

With a snarling howl, Nigrissi shattered the kachi katchin with just the force of his voice, a pair of bat-like wings stretching to three meters either direction on his back. Fluids oozed out of his mouth between his razor sharp fangs, the thinner and more angular optics glaring at the half Saiyan that stared with shock at the extent of his transformation. With a reverberating aura of lime thrumming around him, the modified warrior of Universe 3 took one step forward-

-and instantly threw a throttling punch into Gohan's raised arm.

A palpable wave of concussive force was released between the pair, kicking up a wave of loose debris while casting off an additional layer of the dense mineral. Gohan's snow colored _ki_ shrieked to the surface, his power pushing into his arm to throw off the crushing fist's path; only to see that Nigrissi had vanished in front of him and was now reappearing to his left to punch him across the jaw.

"Ngh!" The half Saiyan grimaced, feeling his head whip back around with his upper body. Despite the sudden jarring pain he focused to throw his weight around and swung his right foot around like a pendulum straight towards Nigrissi's head.

To his dismay, the transformed cyborg blocked the attack with a raised arm of its own; allowing him to point his free arm and unleash a devastating kikoha that throttled him backwards.

"_He's not only stronger, but faster too!_" Gohan deduced, splitting apart the energy bullet with both arms swung in a crisscross slash, leaving them steaming from the heat of it alone. Flipping up and over to his feet, he'd skid back with a line of dust in his wake, his eyes drawn up to see Nigrissi's body once again vanished.

"Where did he-ngh?!"

Just as he was about to raise his guard, he felt something slam into his unguarded back, jabbing what felt like a knee into his spine. Staggering forward, it was all he could do to notice the blur of refracting light and react by throwing a fist towards it. Punching away the rising uppercut that the machine man had intended to catch him with, Gohan stomped forward in between the now visible bat-like cyborg and thrust both palms into his chest.

"HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" Gohan howled, unleashing a yellow wave of _ki_ straight into his front.

What he saw was the outline of Nigrissi reduced to a molten husk of his previous self.

For a total of five seconds, before it fizzled away like a mirage of static.

"_Nice attack, but in this state of mine I have completely changed the game. You can't hit me if you can't see me and I'm far too fast for you to counter, even if you can sense me._"

Nigrissi taunted, his voice seemingly coming from all around him. Gohan had to raise his guard up, tapping into his senses once again while keeping his energy primed around his whole body.

A slash came from his left, forcing the son of Goku to veer away and throw a kick that struck nothing but air. Another attack came inches from clocking him against the jaw but he pulled away, and then threw a kiai towards the air, seeing nothing but a streak of refracting luminescence.

Each time Nigrissi came closer and closer to striking, there'd be a mark left on the Universe 7 fighter's body; a scrape here, a bruise there, a torn piece of his uniform. The half Saiyan continued to struggle, his every movement trying to process all of the stimuli of both attack and evasion of his foe.

"_What kind of a specimen is being a half Saiyan even mean? Does it give you even an ounce of power rivaling what Son Goku produced?_"

"I've had about," The half Saiyan drew his arms in, a stance akin to what Piccolo normally did. His screaming silver energy transmuted into a sparking halo of gold, crackling about with chaotic ribbons of light. Just as he felt an impact strike his abdomen did he swing his arms out and let out a ferocious howl. "ENOUGH!"

A massive wave of golden light leveled the terrain around him, sending kachi katchin sprawling backwards in a hail of ultra dense projectiles. Along with the force of his explosive wave being enough to send his opponent thrown off kilter, it also washed away the bio-mechanical creature's invisibility. He was seen sprawling upwards with the flow of the dome of energy, the pelting rocks disorienting him as several struck his eyes and damaged his wings.

"There you are," Gohan intoned, bending his knees and leaping straight towards the airborne opponent of his. Pulling his arms back he'd throw both of his palms forward two meters away, unleashing a two-handed kiai.

"Hngh!" Knocked backwards, the bat-shaped Nigrissi felt his body slam into the face of the pillar; followed by forward flipping ax kick straight to his reeling skull. Thin arched eyes bulged outward with his bluish tongue spewing bile between his bared fangs. Throttled downward from his placement in the pillar he'd barely stop himself from crashing face first with his wings spread outwards with a powerful flap. Looking up over his shoulder, a few feet off the floor, he'd see Gohan's face inches from his own turned optics.

"You!" A fist threw with his hallowed shout, his knuckles slamming in a blur of motion that crashed Nigrissi in a splayed impact on the ground that split apart the durable tiling beneath him.

"Aren't!" Another fist struck the back of the modified Universe 3 warrior, indenting him further into the ground.

"Getting away!" He finished, both hands raised over his head and hammer fist strike him with a bellowing roar. Silver light was released in an elliptical blast, severing thick slags of the arena ground even deeper than before.

Hissing breaths came out between Gohan's teeth, his eyes bearing straight down at Nigrissi's twitching form. He had been baited through taunts, drawn out so carelessly through the fresh image of seeing his father hurtled out of the ring. And despite the morbid satisfaction of pummeling this evolved metal-man, it was still a bitter taste in his mouth.

"Are you done?"

A chilling voice came from his side, causing the half Saiyan to flinch. The energy he was sensing was from a familiar foe, and one he had nearly dealt with in a single strike. But he wasn't alone this time.

Turning from the crumpled form of Nigrissi he'd see none other than Frost of Universe 6, his grey-bluish form standing with his arms crossed behind his back in an arrogant posture. There was no sign of damage that he had received from earlier, making the half Saiyan wonder how he recovered so quickly. Apart from that, he was standing adjacent with the massive living tea kettle, Auta Magetta. Though unlike from earlier, it seems the mechanical entity had a pair of kachi katchin welded to the side of his head, as if to create a makeshift pair of ear plugs for some reason.

"I've come to repay the favor, Saiyan," Frost gleamed with menace in his eyes, his smile a false politeness that Gohan was all too familiar with. "Please be finished with that unsightly mess before I have to do it for you."

"You really want to do this again?" Gohan inquired, his brows knitted into a tense glare, his body now standing upright from the crater he had created from his battle with Nigrissi. "After all, you should know I'm leagues above you in power. You don't have a chance of defeating me."

"Is that so?" He inquired rhetorically, gutturally chuckling with visible grim humor. "Then you should know, I'm not alone in my efforts to destroy Universe 7. I have friends who are much more reliable; closer to you than you even think."

As if on cue, the three Cell Juniors appear behind Frost, each of them giggling in Gohan's direction.

"Cell!" Gohan sneered, his fists balling up and his guard instantly raised. The _ki_ coming off the offspring was far greater than Frost's, and was likely a contestable match for Vegeta as he currently was. Given there was three of them it made the situation even more treacherous.

But, just as Frost began to regale, he saw one of the Juniors wink at him and another raise an Ok sign at Gohan. Perplexed by this -and noticing Freeza's doppelganger didn't recognize what was gestured- he renewed his anger with his body dropping into a fighting stance. Adopting the forward bend of his father's stance with an arched arm propped with a clenched fist his backward hand angled with a partially clawed form, he glared at the troupe intending on besting him.

"Yes, you'll find your situation far more difficult to weasel out of this time," Frost sneered, raising his hand and whipping it towards him. "Take him apart!"

A kikoha fired and something exploded. Much to the surprise of Frost, his expression froze as he looked over to see one of the Juniors fired at the welded piece of debris stuck to Magetta's head.

"Haha, now you look stupid!" Another Junior spoke.

"C-C-CHOPPO?!" The living teal kettle flinched at that, backing up and trembling on the spot. To Frost's own dismay, he fell to the floor, amusing the gremlin spawn of Cell at how easily crippled he was on an emotional level.

"W-What are you doing?!" Frost turns around, sneering at the three with indignation. "What's the meaning of this?!"

"Pops said you're useless!"

"Useless! Useless! Useless!"

"Plan altered! You don't need to be here anymore, haha!"

"N-No," He shuddered, backing up with sudden horror. "We had a de-LK!"

Before he could muster out another word, all three Juniors instantly kicked him from the face down to chest and pelvis. The impact was enough to bend his whole body in a brutal contortion. With a distinct pop of exploding air pressure, Frost was sent careening into the nearby Magetta, his back making a grotesque snapping sound as his spine struck what was considerably near indestructible alloy. It skid the pair backwards, careening off the edge with the living tea kettle whimpering down and Frost frothing at the mouth in pained outrage.

"Auta Magetta and Frost of Universe 6 are out of bounds," The Grand Priest announced with a pleased smile on his face.

"Boooooop!" Future Zen'ou and Present Zen'ou gleefully spoke aloud as they busied themselves in the simple task of erasing the aforementioned fighters from the line-up.

"I guess, it was all a hoax?" Gohan questioned, his eyes turning to see the Cell Juniors had already vanished; likely from use of Instantaneous Movement. "Of course, his 'kids' said the plan was altered. I guess that'd explain why he hasn't done anything treacherous to our team yet. But what is he planning?"

As he mulled it over, he remembered his opponent lying prone on the ground. His hand reached down and grasped at the collar of his opponent-

"What-?!" He exclaimed, finding the outline of it fizzle into static, vanishing before his eyes. "He slipped beneath my grasp when Frost showed up. Where did he go?"

Eyes swept the area, noticing nothing of a power that resembled the modified machine man. Without any enemies to fight he thought to go reinforce the others who were doubtlessly battling the others of Universe 3.

Leaping away, he'd see in the distance his other human allies contesting against their own foes of Universe 2. Zirloin, the armor and robed man, was battling Tenshinhan with surprising grace and poise despite his larger stature. Rabanra pressured Kuririn, swinging his tail around to trip him only for the latter dwarf to platform his hands and firing a Reverse Kamehameha back to kick him straight in the face. Which left Muten Roshi to fight Zarbuto, the two elderly warriors throwing as much calculated strikes as they were using finesse against one another.

As his eyes had trailed, he'd hear as much as see something teleport in front of him and thrust a pink-colored kikoha straight into his front.

"HAAAAAA!" Gohan reflexively shouted, using the power of his voice to release a kiai. The air shrieked, the sphere warped and undulated before popping out in a field of sparks. The man behind it was revealed as bloodied Jimeze, his arms raised and tolerated the blast of air with a grimace over his shadowed visage.

"You have good reflexes, Universe 7 warrior," The Yardratian stated reverently, breathing heavily with obvious effort to remain in fighting peak. "But the trust my Universe has placed onto me is insurmountable. I'll take the love and spread it, even as I defeat you!"

"I don't like this anymore than you do."

Gohan instantly sped, his body a blur of white streaked forward to land a gut punch straight into his chest. Jimeze's eyes bulged, his mouth spouting ichor that splattered over the arm that suspended him up in the air. Twisting around, the half Saiyan delivered a vicious roundhouse kick that the pink-skinned martial artist barely blocked; at the cost of being throttled straight towards the edge.

He staggered, barely standing. Wheezing aloud he raised a trembling hand to mimic the sign of concentration the son of Goku knew as his father's Instantaneous Movement. He'd pull back an arm and hurtle a kikoha of golden color straight towards him. In a panic he split apart, avoiding it just barely.

Then, something struck his two heads and the man of Universe 3 was sent dazed flying off the edge into the abyss below.

"_He's here!_" Gohan thought, turning on his heels and raising his transparent aura up to sense out his opponent's movement. What he had expected was the crackling of energy, thrumming in the air, akin to a sparking power generator. Feeling something else entirely, the half Saiyan's eyes widened, feeling something moving swiftly along the ground and repressing almost to the point of invisibility.

"_He's heading away?_"

Team 7's Captain furrowed his brow, his head turning to narrow his eyes at the approximate direction it was moving. Still, he couldn't see it. He wagered either this was an even more advanced version of camouflage or this person could freely manipulate the size of his body -like a reverse of Piccolo's own Nameccian ability of gigantification-.

Seeing it head towards his friends fighting the last three members of Universe 2, he realized what it was targeting.

"Oh no you don't!" Gohan shouted out, his body embroiled in a thick aura and throttling himself straight towards its direction. Homing in on its approximate location he felt it suddenly slip out more _ki_ -mostly out of surprise- and began to speedily leap in an arch across the debris. Turning with its momentum, the half Saiyan raised a fist up and brought it down on the stage with a shrieking bellow releasing from his mouth.

A massive upheaval of the stage's flooring sent slabs all arching up in scattered cracked slags, In the rising plume of smoke was a single speck sprawling up in the air, almost too small to see but quickly swelling up to a bit more manageable proportion to steady itself.

It was here that the half Saiyan struck.

"Oh no-!" It shrieked, a red eyed spherical-rod shaped insectoid fighter flailed just as Gohan's fist connected straight into his face. Following up with a flurry of punches, the fierce Team 7 Captain kicked him high into the air and followed after him. Even as he shrunk to avoid being hit, Gohan stretched his palm out and caught him in his grip.

"It's time for you to leave," He quietly spoke, almost sullenly. Turning in the air, Gohan used what he had learned while attending school all those years ago and delivered a pitch with the force of a meteorite. Expanding in size, flailing about, the half Saiyan saw his bug-like opponent streaking into the sickly lime vista of the World of Void.

Disappearing in a flicker, Gohan descended back to the arena floor, and heard the Grand Priest's words spoken with obligatory thematic fashion.

"Damom has left the arena, leaving all combatants of Universe 4 disqualified," The white haired man spoke with a smile, then turning serious as he swung his hand upward. "Their Universe's erasure shall commence immediately!"

"Okaaaaaaaaay!" Future Zen'ou gleefully cried out with one arm crossed over to Present Zen'ou.

"Yaaaaaaaaaaay!" Present Zen'ou ecstatically proclaimed, both his and his double's hands becoming coated in a halo of majestic pure silver light in their palms.

"This isn't fair!" Quitela screamed, his hands balled up as the rest of his Universe trembled in fear and terror with a cosmic ray of energy subsuming them. "I demand a rematch! You hear me?! I DEMAND A-!"

In an instant, all traces of the 4th Universe, including its ten strongest warriors and its gods were erased. Visibly unfazed by their erasure, the Angel sitting behind them just stared out dispassionately at the tournament with no comment to add.

* * *

"Another Universe has been erased," Piccolo intoned, his arms raised to deflect another strike by Paparoni's staff. Shrugging it off, he turned around and delivered a kick that the scientist palmed, throwing him back just in time to fire a beam from her stave. Releasing an electrical surge of _ki_ from his antenna towards it, dispersing it in midair. "And we still have these guys to deal with!"

"P-Paparoni-!"

"N-Nigrissi?" The scientist turned, witnessing a figure appear, damaged but still standing with tattered wings and a few missing teeth and a fractured optic lens. "What happened to you?!"

"Son Gohan of Universe 7 did," He admitted, staring at Piccolo and casting sideways glances at 17 and 18 doing battle with the other burly machine Biarra.

Their tandem of blasts tore apart its armor, overwhelming a shell that withstood blows from the likes of Toppo earlier. Once they were done, they joint kikoha blast him off the ring with a continuous surge of energy that overwhelmed him completely.

Even as a number of other machines fused into Koicéareta, the cyborgs joined forces in evading and returning fire. They seemed evenly matched and Nigrissi grimaced at not being in the best shape to help them. Piccolo returned fire at Paparoni, the latter of which creating a barrier from his cane enough to protect himself and his colleague.

"We are running out of options. Universe 11's three elites are still in play, and even Universe 2's got several players going strong. Universe 6 and 7 are outmatching us both in numbers and firepower," The monocle enamored, violet skinned scientist turned to look at Nigrissi with a grave look over his face. "It's time to unleash our greatest weapon."

Tensing, Nigrissi knew this was coming. Ever since he had evolved to battle Gohan he had barely closed the gap between them using his cloaking technology and his flight-extensions. His battle power and durability was no match against the Saiyan and he doubted how much use he'd be against the likes of Vegeta.

"Let's do it," Nigrissi hissed out, smiling his crooked grin with menace. "Let's show the other Universes that we are deserving of survival!"

"Well said," Paparoni intoned, clicking a switch on the staff and clacked it on the ground.

All at once, a crackling veil of energy jutted from the pair and the fused machine battling 17 and 18. Like gravity they were pulled to one another, and all of them formed a mechanical man pyramid. A surge of light erected up from the arena straight up from the Tournament of Power ring, shaking the platform from every corner that connected them together. Caulifla and Kale, still recovering much to the prior's chagrin, saw a massive shadow stand upwards. Jiren's fingers twitched in place, his black eyes slowly opening as he felt the pulse of power swept across the battle scarred kachi katchin floor and above him where he presided. Catopesra was in the midst of a speed battle with Dyspo only for them to turn their gaze in mid-sprint towards a crackling obtuse shape emerging with massive arms and legs unfurling. Toppo's eyes glared defiantly, seemingly standing in the distance at the wind that was kicking up from the force of the energy's expulsion from the entity. Vegeta's battling with the Universe 6 Nameccians halted to take stock of the massive machine's horn-like antennae, red eyes glaring from a curtain of pale amethyst-white flames ebbing off of it's red jeweled, green core and white-grey body.

"W-What on Earth is that?!" Muten Roshi questioned aloud, his own fight halting with the others of Universe 3's three remaining combatants. Kuririn trembled at the sight and Tenshinhan gritted his teeth with anxious anticipation. Zirloin balled his fists at his side, Rabranra gaped with stupor and Zarbuto stoically glared up at the behemoth champion of Universe 3.

"RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" The giant entity of flesh and technology howled, shaking the ring, releasing a bristling gale to sweep even the half-circle ring the gods rested upon.

"Whoaaaaaaaaaaaa!" The two Zen'ou shouted back in awe, seemingly trying to outmatch the big beast's primal roar in a childishly underwhelming way.

"Well isn't this a surprise," The Grand Priest stated, a small smirk adorned on his face, his eyes turned towards the now smug Kaioshin raising his fist with triumph as his peers looked on with fear and confusion. "It seems most of Universe 3's fighters have been designed to fuse in tandem to one another. This may prove trouble for every contestant still on the ring."

"HAHAHAHA!" Ea gleefully shouted, his hand raised his hands in a self congratulatory manner. "Behold, lesser Universes, the might of our mind turned into physical power: **Anilaza**! Tremble before our intelligence and prepare to be erased as we claim victory!"

"Dammit!" Champa ground his palms together, his eyes turned towards the frothing Frost, still lying incapacitated next to him; right next to the still whimpering Magetta, its face resting in its tubular palms. "We're already down two people and I don't see Hit anywhere. He's probably still getting patched up by Rota, and those damn Nameccians still haven't unleashed their full power yet."

"Not to mention Caulifla and Kale have yet to show signs of being confident enough to return to the fray."

"YOU'RE STRESSING ME OUT, VADOS!" The fat purple cat counterpart of Beerus shrieked, his hands sliding off his face exaggeratedly while his Angel handler smirked at his anxiousness by his side.

"This isn't good," Kai spoke, his calm composure a poor fit to his words as he spoke aloud to the chagrin of Belmod. "That creature's power is greater than the Genki Dama Son Goku used against Jiren."

"Those three better not get kicked out by that overgrown monstrosity," The Hakaishin seethed, his eyes glaring at the massive behemoth.

"So, that's their last resort?" Beerus inquired, his hands now resting on his knees, his tail swiveling back and fort anxiously. "I wonder how good at fighting it is."

"Between all the expertise our team possesses, along with their special abilities, it will be a hard match for Universe 3," Whis airily informed. His eyes scanning towards Goku as he began to stir from his unconscious state, Kibito's healing hands still hard at work to repair the damage done by Jiren's earlier attack. "Still, with Goku out of the fight, it might be that much harder."

"Jiren," Goku muttered, his eyes wincing open.

"Lie still, Goku," Kibito sternly implored him. "I'm still healing you from your injuries."

"So...I lost, huh?"

The red-skinned Shinling turned away, eyes closed with a remiss expression of shame.

"I...see," The Turtle Schooler chuckled weakly, turning his head around to look at the massive creature that stood with a statuesque pose. "That's...a real big one...hehe."

"You know what they say, Son Goku?" Shin asked, trying to be optimistic as he jokingly raised a finger before bringing it down into a palm. "The bigger they are, the harder they fall."

"Hmph, more likely the bigger they are, the harder they squash you," The Elder Kaioshin snarked with a grim harrumph.

"Wait," Goku blinked, forcing himself to sit upright -much to Kibito's vocal reprimands- and gaped out. "Jiren's moving!"

Sure enough, everyone on the stands, and on the ring could see the grey skinned warrior step out of the crater he was meditating in. A slow stride brought about an air far different than Toppo and Dyspo recognized. A blistering wind cycloned around his feet, unleashing a crimson flame of energy burning softly over his body. Violet rings burned within the pits of his black orbs, looking upward with hands balling up into fists so tight one could hear the pops coming from his knuckles.

Piccolo, 17 and 18 instinctively backed away, a distant Cell propped on an elevated slag of kachi katchin looked on with surprise. Every fighter held their breath as the titan of unstoppable power was pitted against the giant of machine and flesh, red eyes glaring down with seething rage. Both warriors stood-off from each other and before they knew it, Anilaza had set its sights on Universe 11's champion.

"Universe 3," Jiren icily spewed out, pulling back one foot and raising a clawed set of burned fingers while pulling back his gloved fist in an inversely aimed fist. "Your defeat will fall to my hands."

* * *

**A/N**: I know, not a lot of Cell in this Chapter, but we're getting there. I had a bit of fun characterizing the Zen'ous here, as it helped me give a clear consensus for how many fighters remained in the ToP and let the audience know just how many fighters have been eliminated already. This was largely a Gohan centered chapter. Nothing too special, just him kicking ass and struggling a bit with respective opponents; made sure to nip the Damom problem in the bud before it became a problem. As with Frost, I didn't see Cell playing along with Frost's petty underhanded schemes; he had only agreed to this deal so if he wanted to switch sides the rest of Universe 6 wouldn't be so suspicious if he turncoat to them. It's not like he is obliged to keep Frost in the game if he wants Universe 6 to survive instead of 7.

As for Universe 3, they were oddly the most boring group to ever write for. Apart from some gags, I never really thought much of them and their giant machine-beast didn't really leave much of an impact on me. It was just a Hirudegarn and Hatchiyack fusion that was far more dull conceptually than either of them; it even stole moves from Janemba, how uninspired was Toei when they made up this thing's powers?!

Leaving it off with Jiren felt right for me. The way I have Cell used here is being a bit more of a skulking character now that there's less opponents for him to ransack of their energy present. With the Cell Juniors in play, he can still actively participate without necessarily engaging. But given how much of a chip Jiren has on his shoulder, this feels fitting that he takes on Anilaza. One boring unstoppable force against a giant kaiju-level threat.

Until the next eventual update of A Perfect Tournament, see you all later!


	11. Overwhelming Perfection!

This was unusual.

In all of the years that Toppo had known Jiren, the stoic warrior had never displayed this kind of initiative. Before, it'd usually come about due to the sense that the enemy was within sight. Kale's rampage had brought him into the fore because he could plainly see the threat it posed. Maji-Kayo was about to physically maim Dyspo and the sight of such cruelty pushed him into action. When ordered he moved to do what he was sent here to do; bring an end to Son Goku's threat to their Universe.

But now, when he had no reason to break meditation, he was now approaching the powerful fusion of flesh and machine that is Anilaza. The man was radiating a tense amount of energy, the composure he once possessed teetering much to the mustached warrior's disbelief. In contrast to the blistering maelstrom of power that the giant opponent was billowing in,. the energy was translucent and tightly wound to his musculature form. Even when left in a place of unknown mental state, Jiren's control over _ki_ was second to none.

This monster stood no chance against his old ally.

"Do it now!" Ea cried out from the stands. "Crush Universe 11! Defeat Jiren, Anilaza!"

With an affirming howl, the giant humanoid machine rushed forward and swung a fist straight towards his prime target. The speed of his immense mass was enough to kick up a wind equivalent to a hurricane and the impact unleashed a shockwave that leveled upraised debris of kachi katchin surrounding them. In the center of the fist, however, one could see a gloved palm caught its middle curled knuckle with a bare of boots dug into the ground in a braced posture.

"H-He caught it-?!"

Before the Kaioshin could follow-up his comment of astonishment at the feat, Anilaza's outstretched fist was turned around and pulled over the Pride Trooper's shoulder. This caused the enormous creature to stagger forward, losing its balance. In the few seconds it did, the trooper's burned fist pulled back and primed a thrumming fist of incandescent red-white light. A grimacing pair of eyes opened it wide, unleashing a punch that shot a beam energy straight towards the creature's abdomen.

"G-GAULK!" Anilaza gagged, bile escaping his sharp teeth and eyes nearly bulging from their sockets. The force of the punch was enough to bring him off his feet and hurl him backwards to crash onto his backside. The landing was enough to flatten all loose pieces of the arena, bringing another quaking shake to the ring that everyone struggled to keep their footing on.

"J-Just one punch, and he's knocked Anilaza off his feet?!" Ea let out a stuttering wail of surprise. Falling flat onto his seat, he raised his fingers to shakily adjust his spectacles, trying to think but coming up with nothing. "How are we supposed to contend with a force of this magnitude?!"

"Bleep-boop-..._ah screw it!_"

The robotic shell of the Universe 3's Hakaishin suddenly popped open its head like a hatch, much to the surprise of his colleagues. Rising up out of its canister was a diminutive gremlin of sorts, a red-skinned devil-horned man in the typical ornate uniform of those who were Gods of Destruction. Raising a fist up with anger, he let out a shrill cry of anger, "Get off your ass and beat him senseless, you hear me?! I know you were created with a lot more power than that in mind, Anilaza!"

"L-Lord Mosco!" Ea cried out with surprise.

"And quit your bellyaching, Ea!" The aforementioned Hakaishin jabbed a finger towards him, angrily spouting with throbbing veins along his head. "The moment something goes awry and you start whimpering like a child! And you call yourself a Kaioshin?!"

"S-Sorry-"

"You _better_ be!" Mosco sneered, turning about to pound his hand on the top of his robot suit. "Now get up, or I'll really lay it in thick how pathetic you're acting, Anilaza!"

"Didn't expect to see that kind coming from Mosco," Kai spoke with amusement from his spot of the floating stands. His smile curled as he returned his gaze to Jiren, who stood still after sending his opponent flying onto its back. "I was worried at this moment of initiative, given how powerful this Anilaza appeared to be. Now that I see it more clearly, it seems I had nothing to worry about."

"Of course," Belmod grinned smugly, his red lips arching into a U as he narrowed his eyes at Jiren's bristling energy. "He's got the strength on par with the Hakaishin, superior to most of us. And he doesn't even have an ounce of Godly _ki_. He's a true maverick beyond compare. Universe 3 has no chance in defeating him!"

Goku himself was surprised. Ever since this battle started, he was certain that this Anilaza was stronger than him. He had gained the upperhand against Jiren a number of times using Perfected Super Saiyan Blue and Kaioken to make up the difference. Even achieving a power beyond what the Genki Dama afforded him, this thing was a league above that.

Was Jiren simply unbeatable?

As the bionic creature stirred, Jiren pulled back his steaming fist to lie at his side, glaring at the behemoth that lied in front of him. From his point of view, this battle was over. This thing couldn't even take a fully charged punch without being reeled in pain. All he'd have to do was hit him a few more times and he'd be thrown out of the ring.

Pulling back his fist, he charged up another weave of energy around his burned fist and threw it with a shriek of sound piercing momentum towards the pelvis of the downed creature.

A crimson line carved through what looked like a constituted effigy of static, vanishing soon after it was bisected along with a good long field of debris that was behind him off the edge of the ring.

"H-He disappeared?" Toppo questioned aloud, sharing confusion with the rest of the onlooking fighters. "But, where did his energy go? I clearly felt it right there a few seconds ago."

A dark shadow swept the stadium that brought clarity to the rest of the contestants. Looking up, the'd see the monolith of organic machinery floating over the artificial Sun of the arena. Now it possessed a pair of familiar wings that Gohan recognized as aspects to the being known as Nigrissi. Even the hologram and camo that was demonstrated earlier certainly was now infused into the monster that was now high up above the arena.

"Keh, so he can fly, so what?" Belmod derided with arms folded over his chest. "I'm not impressed."

"That's still a problem," Kai stated, his eyes peering at the shadow of the creature cast on the rest of the arena. "He's purposefully using the gleam of the artificial Sun to inhibit Jiren's gaze. It'll hinder his accuracy if he wants to land an attack."

As on cue, Jiren launched an attack straight towards the floating monster, the streak whistling across the sky of the World of Void towards its target. The machine grinned maliciously, punching towards it with a burning red glow around its monstrous fist. In an instant, a rift parted in space, which diverted the line of energy Jiren sent-

-while also sending a punch throttling into Jiren's backside.

"Ngh?!" Jiren's body arched with the massive fist, his arms and legs flailing back with his neck pulling his head in an arc posterior. The force of it threw him forward, slamming into the face of the central pillar, shaking it from the blow before he'd bounce backwards flat into a prone posture.

"HA! DIRECT HIT!" Mosco cried out with a jeering laugh.

"W-What did he do?!" Belmod suddenly croaked out aghast.

"It seems that level of power was enough to bend space," Kai observed, his eyes showing a wince of reserved emotion while trying to keep a cool head around his Hakaishin colleague. "He canceled out an attack simultaneously while throwing one of his own."

"Wow, not even Jiren can avoid that kind of attack?!" Goku gaped with awe filled surprise, mirroring the reactions of the gods surrounding him on the seats adjacent to him.

"It's too fast to react to!" Belmod cried out, gripping his hands tightly at his sides before looking over to where Dyspo and Toppo stood. "You two! Support Jiren!"

"Right-"

"Where do you think you're going?!" Catopesra cried out indignantly, blitzing straight into Dyspo's front with a lightning swift kick.

Growling, he retaliated with a blurring punch, only for Catopesra to avoid it with a rising somersault that landed a pair of kicks to his back. Stumbling forward, he turned to fire a kikoha only for Catopesra to faze out of sight and reappear with a punch across his jaw.

"You'll have to get through me before you touch Anilaza, Pride Trooper," Catopesra intoned with a few sweeping dramatic gestures.

"Dammit," Dyspo growled, his mouth bleeding from the hits he received. "_This guy switches modes on the fly, increasing his power and switching out for speed to avoid being hit. I'm still a bit winded from using my ultimate mode; if I try to use it again on this guy, I might not be able to fight any other heavy hitters again. At this point, it's all I can do just to hold him down and keep him from touching the others._"

Meanwhile, Toppo himself tried to rush forward only to see a trio of Universe 7 warriors step in his way.

"Sorry, but we seemed to have lost ourselves an opponent to fight," Piccolo spoke aloud with a wry grin, cracking his neck and knuckles side to side while cyborgs seventeen and eighteen flanked him on either side. "Care to volunteer?"

"You dare stand in our way, Universe 7?!" The mustached bulbous fighter cried out with indignation. Swinging his arms around from side to side, bending his body in tandem, he'd let out a battle cry. "Very well, have at you! JU-STIIIIIIIIIIIICE TACKLLLLLLLE!"

As he rammed towards Piccolo, the Nameccian did an impressive thing. Swelling up to a similar height and width, a larger Piccolo withstood the headbutted leap the Pride Trooper committed to. Despite his heels grinding against the floor, it was just enough of an opening between the pair's connecting bodies to allow 18 to leap around Toppo's right to kick him in the kidney. Grimacing he'd twirl around with his arms flailing like a top, he'd kick off the ground to bowl her over-

-only to receive a swift all-fours kick to his other side that sent him flying across the ring and slamming into a kachi katchin boulder; atomizing it.

"I thought he was all fat," Seventeen commented as he landed with a graceful toe first tap to the floor, placing his gloved hands in his pockets. "But I felt some sturdy muscle behind all of that blubber. Quite a tough guy."

"You're telling me," Eighteen remarked, shaking her foot with an expression of discomfort crossing her face. "I thought I broke my foot kicking him for a second."

"His _ki_ is monstrous," Piccolo reported, a grimace on his face as he saw the man's outline rise up from the cloud of dust made from the ring's debris pile. "I had heard that Goku fought this man from the Exhibitions. I can see why not even Super Saiyan Blue was enough to bring him down."

"No surprise that he's lasted this long in the tournament then," Seventeen remarked with a smile. "Guess this means I won't have to hold back when we tango."

"Just try not to lose focus, Seventeen," Eighteen drawled out with a leery gaze aimed his way. "We just need to hit him out of the ring, nothing more."

"I'll try to curb my excitement, sis," He remarked.

In a split second, Toppo leaped up and braced one arm against the other, forming a familiar flat palm that primed with coral-lit energy that unleashed in a barrage of kikoha.

As the trio dodged and returned fire against the mighty stout trooper, with Dyspo contending in a fight of temerity against Catopesra switching in flashes of light from one mode to the other to contend with him. This left Jiren rising up from the ground, wiping away a dribble of blood from his mouth with his gloved forearm and dusting off his uniform with his burned hand.

"Commendable strategy," Jiren whispered out of earshot of everyone else. "But I've felt your attack. You won't get me a second time."

Without anymore prompting, Anilaza unleashed another space-carving punch, this one coming from Jiren's left side. Black eyes widened, a gloved arm shooting out and deflecting the instantly arriving blow in a crack of bio-energy; casting a flash of light-amethyst and silver-crimson. Another blow came from the right, forcing him to raise a hand to catch it, only to vanish as quickly as it came. From behind he'd bend forward and donkey kick it without looking, dispersing the blow as well; only to leave a fist rising from a rift along the floor straight towards his leaning upper body.

"HM!" The grey trooper grunted with effort, his eyes releasing a pulse of red and a phantom fist of _ki_ blasted with prejudice against the floor erecting fist, blowing it backwards back out of the hole of space it came from. Righting himself upward, the Pride Trooper turned to stare back defiantly at the floating creature, wordlessly challenging it to try harder in order to best it.

Anilaza crisscrossed his arms across his chest, opening his mouth to charge up a massive well of _ki_. Within the blink of an eye, it'd throw its fists out to carve rifts in space to punch on either side of Jiren while unleashing a pillar of crimson light from its mouth towards Jiren's spot.

A blood-stained glove and a burned palm caught both punches, eyes opening wide to unleashing a flash of red from his pupils towards the center of the energy pyre. It billowed it out, streaks of streaking excess carving into the floor of the arena around him. Without being able to see, Anilaza pulled one foot back and thrust it forward, a rift opening beneath the Pride Trooper to have him fall towards an instantly rising monumental foot.

In an act of reflex, Jiren gripped upon the opposing fists and throttled himself upward, avoiding the kick and the two slamming fists. Eyes closed, the grey skinned warrior ascended straight upward, his body expanding with a massive amount of energy around his body. A swirling hurricane of force buckled the arena and rocked the footing of all combating fighters below. The eruption of light cast an aurora akin to a Sun, bringing some of the lesser fighters to fall to their knees in shock.

"He's in the air," Ea intoned, raising a fist while Mosco looked on with a knowing smile. "Unleash your full power, Anilaza!"

"RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" The giant ultimate fusion of technology let out a bestial bellow, raising both hands up into the endless sky and created a massive sphere of destructive energy. With his forehead energy core supplying it with an ample amount of power and hurtled it straight towards the airborne trooper. Flying across with the force of a meteor, the entire floating top shaped arena quaked upon its arrival-

"HA!" Jiren breathed out, blindly swinging his burned right fist in an arc of burning red energy, straight into the ultimate orb of Anilaza's full power. It penetrated the sphere, exploding outward with an inverted shriek of light and pierced the center of Anilaza's chest, out the other side through the artificial Sun and into the vacuum beyond. Cloud vapors parted and warped outward, revealing a massive hole within the World of Void, exacerbating its reach as the light petered off into the infinite backdrop.

As the light was extinguished, with no one, not even Zen'ou being able to see what transpired the grey warrior began to fall. Beyond the flash of brilliant light that was cast by the successive strikes of both fighters, no one saw the flicker of a false body of the giant machine fizzling out from the now extinguished Sun for the tournament ring. Blinks of energy cores pulsed in between refraction of light, the camouflaged machine sweeping in and around towards the falling Jiren while using its antenna to locate it.

Just before hitting the ground, Anilaza pulled back an arm and threw it towards a space it'd form a rift, aiming to hit him from above with a mighty impact.

"You cannot hide yourself from me," Jiren announced, his gloved hand blurring up to catch the fist with a deft flash of light to the contestants and audience alike. Opening his eyes, he'd turn to reveal burning irises of amethyst glare, his aura reigniting into a mighty solar body. The immense pressure was such that even the flesh entwined machine flinched, its eyes widening at the sight of such magnanimous power generating from one person, giving light to the whole arena and then some.

Feet touched the floor and the whole of Jiren's body coiled up with flexing posture. Turning around in a motion of immense momentum, a single fist thrust out towards Anilaza. A stream of crimson light flew forward into the upper torso, cracking his whole body in a cascade of bleeding cracks of light-purple. The central power core ruptured, following the forehead power generator and the two brandished on his arms. Antennae snapping and a mouth roaring out in pain, the bio-machine flew into the wide open void, disappearing in a, imprint into the gaseous void beyond.

What appeared afterwards was the totality of the physical components of fused modified warrior of Universe 3 on seats adjacent to Mosco and Ea along with their higher seated Angel.

"I-I'm...sorry," Paparoni apologized with a sullenly hung head. "My creation...is a failure!"

"It isn't your fault," Mosco tried to assure them, his smile showing one of resignation as his eyes traced their last fighter. "We can't compete with forces of nature such as this; even with our intelligence, we can't simply compare."

"JIREN!" Catopesra shifted into being in front of the glowing Pride Trooper. Fearless, he crisscrossed his elbows with open palms facing him, he declared flamboyantly. "I'LL TAKE YOU ON! BEHOLD MY ULTIMATE FORM!"

A showering glow of light transmuted the suit's color scheme from red or yellow straight to violet and a U placed over his chest. Pointing his fist towards Jiren, he declared in a confident voice, his eyes gleaming behind his green tinted visor of his helmet, "I am now three hundred times stronger and faster! Prepare yourself Jir-"

He didn't get a chance to finish.

A single glare was all it took for Catopesra to be sent flying from the ring, his body bowling with a fist-sized imprint of light that left a trail of crimson light till he disappeared off the vacuum of oblivion.

"He didn't even blink when dealing with him," Goku gaped with owlish blinks of disbelief, his eyes taking in the transcendent mortal energy. "So...this is Jiren's full power? I knew I was feelin' somethin' else lurkin' underneath. He's so amazin'!"

Beerus gritted his teeth, Whis only smiled softly at Goku's endearment to the man who benched him.

Catopesra reappeared on the seat, the darkness obscured the defeated expression he possessed despite being at his best mere moments ago. The once inert artificial Sun was repaired with a snap of the Grand Priest's finger, allowing the pair of Zen'ou to exclaim with clapping amusement at the spectacular finish to the battle that went down.

"Anilaza and Catopesra of Universe 3 are out of bounds," The Grand Priest stated, his upraised hand now shifting to the right with an authoritative flare renewed in his voice. "With all combatants disqualified, the 3rd Universe shall be erased immediately!"

"OKAAAAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!" Both Zen'ou cried out with cross-armed glee, using both of their hands instead of just one for additional childish flare.

"I guess intelligence doesn't beat brawn, after all, huh?" Ea stated with a sad smile on his face.

"No," Mosco spoke with a grim grin exchanged at his Kaioshin colleague. "I suppose not."

In a flicker of cosmic light, all members of Universe 3 along with their entire home existence, were erased leaving a flustered Camparri that his entire Universe failed to achieve a substantial victory.

"H-How is this even fair?" Champa inquired, his face caked in sweat and his eyes mere pins in his eyes. "I thought Hit overwhelmed him earlier. How could he be holding back this much power?!"

"It seems Universe 11 likes to keep its cards close to its chest," Vados commented, her eyes casting a leery gaze over to Marcarita. The latter of whom simply winked and smirked back, much to her head shaking amusement. "They certainly found an interesting one in Jiren. To possess this much power without an ounce of Godly _ki_ is truly a feat beyond compare."

"Damn them!" He balled his fists up, his teeth bared. "I'll show him yet! Once Kale and Caulifla get back on their feet, my Saiyans will show him a real challenge!"

"I hope you're right," The Angel noted, her eyes glancing at the arena in the grey warrior's direction.

Without anyone left to contest him, Jiren strode back with a stoic look of satisfaction on his face and marched back to the pit Goku made to return to meditation.

21 Fighters and 4 Universe remain in the Tournament of Power, with 52.0825 Tacks (or 25 minutes who use that form of time) left till completion.

* * *

Cell was shocked. The level of power he had felt released from Jiren was exactly as he had nearly avoided being crushed by minutes earlier. With under a half hour remaining, the amount warriors left to contest the creature of this enormous potential was running thin. He hated to admit, but the showcase of Anilaza being overwhelmed had shaken him to his core.

Was Perfection enough to beat something so unflappable as this grey titan?

"Hey! Hey you!" A feisty voice broke him out of his stunned silence. Unfolding his arms, Cell turned from his perch of rubble, peering his eyes down at a familiar pair of Saiyans. The one who called him out was the torch-haired thin woman with a sour attitude, and the other was the one who went on a rampage that brought a number of Pride Troopers off the ring on her own; even nullifying the power of a god that Goku possessed.

"Oh, it's you," The Bio-Android intoned, his cross-armed form shifting so he could directly face them. "I'm guessing you want a fight, that's right?"

"That's right!" Caulifla shouted, pulling back her pointed finger to jab at her chin with a broad smile on her face. "I'm gonna surprise that old guy, Goku, and beat that hugely strong guy Jiren! In order to do that, I gotta fight another strong guy and get even stronger!"

"M-Me too!" Kale said with renewed assurance in herself. "I-If sis is fighting, then I am too!"

"Ha! That's the spirit, Kale!" The torch-haired Saiyan grinned much to the delight of her wiry taller compatriot. "Just as I'd expect of a disciple of mine!"

Without delaying, the pair transform with a pair of shouts into their own unique brand of Super Saiyan. The Bio-Android's eyes widened, his lips pressed into a thin line of contained surprise. Their energy had increased exponentially since the last time he had felt them. Currently as it stood, they were easily stronger than the Cabba fellow he had fought a little while earlier.

"Well now, isn't this a surprise?" Cell inquired rhetorical with a smile of his own. Arms uncrossed and he'd let loose a golden aura of his own emerge from his body, matching the intensity of the two with scarlet eyes staring at them with a predatory hunger. "Just how high can your _ki_ rise, I wonder?"

"Higher than the SKY!" Caulifla let out a raging cry, unleashing a palm-thrust in the air towards him. What came from it was a bowling current of kiai towards the Bio-Android. He'd leap up and over it in an aerodynamic twirl in the air, escaping the shattering blast that reduced his previous perch into a scattering field of dust.

Landing on his toes behind her, Kale was already swinging a muscle-bound fist into his left raised arm, the impact pushing him back several steps. Caulifla seized the opportunity to twist around and lunge towards him, throwing a barrage of punches in time of Kale's. The two worked perfectly in tandem, completely contradicting their mirror Universe's Vegeta and Goku in that respect. Combined they pushed Cell back, only getting glancing hits on his arms and hands without catching him through his guard.

Suddenly he'd pull back and swing both of his feet up to nearly catch them by their chins. When both legs were arched up they'd then launch forward towards their own raised forearms, pushing them back when a pair of kikoha launched from the bottom of Cell's feet. Splitting them apart, the Bio-Android surprised them with a spinning dive feet first, causing them both to avoid his attack.

A pair of black wings flexed outward, slapping them across their faces hard enough to leave angry red marks across their cheeks.

"Ngh!" Caulifla was thrown back with a sudden kick to her stomach, hurtling her into a mound of kachi katchin behind her.

"SIS!" Kale cried out in fear for her friend being thrown backwards. The Bio-Android dealt with her by spinning on his standing heel and using his raised foot to heel kick at her left side, her guard barely raised in time to brace the impact.

With a smirk, Cell threw out a free palm to fire a kikoha that Kale matched, the pair separating in a mutual explosion. The latter green accented Super Saiyan grimaced, a cloud of smoke whipping around her jagged fiery aura while Cell's own yellow energy thrummed with a constant robust pulse to it. Keeping himself in a slouched fighting stance, the Perfect Being couldn't help but chuckle.

"So far, it's certainly better than that boy was," Cell commented, turning his head to look over his shoulder to see Caulifla pushing a slab of dense rock off of her, glaring back at him heatedly as he laced a growl of malicious intent. "_But I've seen better._"

"Oh," Cauifla mouthed lowly with incredulity, raising her arms up and then swinging them to her sides as her aura erupted even more fiercely with a timely scream. "Really?!"

"Oh look, another copycat," Cell said, only stopping for a moment to roll his eyes. "I mean, I can't talk much, but you know-"

Cut off when Kale's cry released a scream that transformed into a bestial roar, the Bio-Android turned to see the monster that had overwhelmed Goku earlier. Within seconds she had swelled up, growling in a feral manner with blank whites glaring at him, the jagged haired Super Saiyan was tearing up the flooring by mere venting of her _ki_.

"Kale! It's alright!" Caulifla shouted, slipping past Cell in his moment of alarm at his opponent's current state. Reaching up, she'd raise her hand, the crackling bolts of energy dancing around her as she calmly looked up at the rage infused expression on her face. Slowly it softened and the large behemoth hand moved towards hers, folding over her palm and lacing her bigger fingers with hers. "That's it, Kale! Just rein it back, slowly."

Breathing deeply, the mass of light began to wane, transmuting into crackling bolts of light akin to her sworn mentor's. Her stature became similar to what she was as a Super Saiyan, just with more jagged hair and bold lime hair in contrast to her friend's gold tresses. Blue eyes met azure orbs, and the pair smiled, as a moment that was lost to Cell turned out for the better for him. Without her rampaging in such a virtually invincible form, he had better odds in besting the pair.

"You'll regret calming that beast down," Cell warned with a dark laugh. "Even with that power, I'm still stronger than the two of you put together. You don't stand a chance against me."

"We'll see about that, won't we?" Caulifla spoke with brazen confidence, turning to look over at Kale with an endearing smile at her.

"Right," Kale said back without wavering in the slightest, her hand gripping her friend's tightly in return.

Then, the pair leaped in and renewed their barrage of attacks towards Cell.

This time the Bio-Android could feel the pressure of their blows come off far more in succession. Even though he was stronger, it was only by a slight margin, much to his chagrin. It had helped he had taken Hop's naturally masking energy and the Precho's substantial energy supply for himself. With it, not only did he have back-up power he had the ability to let his enemies think he was at their level.

Kale then grabbed one of Cell's raised hands and pulled him into a vicious headbutt.

"Ngh?!" The Bio-Android winced, feeling the crest of his forehead throb with pain.

"ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA!" Cauifla followed up with as swift cascade of punches into his now undefended chest, pummeling him without seemingly ending. Pulling back, she'd finish with a twisting straight that slammed straight into his midsection, throwing him off his feet straight into an erect crop of kachi katchin.

"HA!" Kale unleashed a light warping kikoha towards him, forcing the Android to power through the pain and spin acrobatically to the side to avoid the dense material's explosion. Following up with a salvo of _ki_ bullets from her other palm, Cell used his _ki_ sense to weave through the scattershot aim along with deftly hopping away from the detonations of those that hit too close for comfort.

"How about you take some of these, too!" Caulifla cried out, unleashing a horde of kikoha in conjunction with her friend too.

"_It seems they're slowly getting stronger,_" Cell noticed, doing his best to move in and out of harm's way within an inch of every blast that was fired by the pair of Super Saiyans. "_Hmmm, this gives me an idea._"

Before their eyes, their green menace had begun to duplicate in an array of fictitious images of himself across their line of vision. Each one moved of its own accord, seemingly fizzling through their blasts while running towards them.

"Wait, how's he doing that?!" Caulifla questioned with alarm.

"There's so many of them, but I can't hit them, sis!" Kale cried out, panic ridden on her features.

"This is a distraction-" She started to say, bending forward to suddenly avoid a swinging pale-fisted hook punch that tickled the top of her rigid mane. Clapping her hands against the uneven floor, she twisted her body around in flurry of spinning kicks, finishing with a leaping forward flipping ax kick that forced Cell to block with both arms raised. "Trying to get me from behind won't work a second time, you freak!"

"You're a quick learner too, hm?" Cell inquired with a smirk, laughing under the ground that caved in to the weight of Caulfila's feet pushing him into the earth. "My-My, you really _are_ Goku's doppelganger."

Unleashing a pair of eye beams from his pupils caused Caulifla to flip backwards to avoid Cell's sudden ocular attack. This freed him long enough to stretch his arm out elastically to grasp her foot and whip her around into a large segment of kachi katchin acting as a wall.

"Ahn!" Caulifla cried out from pain, wincing her eyes open long enough to swing her arm around to form an arc of cherry red _ki_ towards him.

Retracting his arm, Cell barely had time to twist around before Kale grasped his face and piledrive him into the ground, his crests irrigating the dense earth with his skull riding all the way through.

"You keep your hands off sis!" The emerald Super Saiyan 2 yelled angrily, pulling him off the ground after two dozen meters was covered and throw a punch that connected against his Perfect Jawline. Swinging successive punches against his face, each one exploding the air and cracking the earth beneath their feet, Kale screamed loudly as she unleashed them more quickly with every connection.

Just when the barrage of punches was about to cease, Caulifla came in with a forward leaping kick that slammed into his solar plexus, bowing his backward and hurtling him straight across the ring.

"YEAH! RING HIM OUT!" Champa distantly shouted with standing glee.

"SOMEONE CATCH HIM!" Beerus bellowed out opposite of his twin Universe.

Before anything could happen, suddenly a familiar trio of blue bodies appeared instantaneously where Cell was flying back towards the edge of the ring. Forming a three layered green barrier, they stopped him with a jerking bounce, sending him sprawling forward into an unceremonious heap on the floor.

"Dammit!" The fat Hakaishin exclaimed, sitting down with a plop and placing his cheeks into his upraised palms.

"Oh good, he remembered he had those," Beerus sighed with relief, palmed his face with a sigh. "So glad the Grand Priest allowed them."

"They're so strong," Goku admired vocally, feeling more or less in a fit shape to watch without feeling discomforted. A look of discouragement crossed his face for a few moments, long enough for the Shinlings, Whis and Beerus to notice. Smiling past it, he chuckled with a raised finger to rub under his nose. "I kinda wish I had more time to fight them. It feels like our fight from before wasn't even close to what they're capable of. I'm a bit envious of Cell now, haha!"

"Well it makes sense," Whis intoned with a wayward stare towards the three as they released their barrier and yelled with dancing joy. "Since they are a part of Cell, it is likely they'd be ringed out the moment he is."

"Oh damn, I didn't think of that," The thinner violet feline thought with a sudden upright posture. "Crap, here I thought he could leave a bunch of them in case he did get knocked out."

"It'd still likely count as one," The Angel surmised with a shrug. "Otherwise it really would be breaking the rules."

"Tch, well so much for strength in numbers," Beerus harrumphed with his chin leaning forward into a raised palm propped up by an elbow on his knee.

Cell finally began to stir, laughing despite his current undignified position.

"That was actually _close_," He drawled out lowly, pushing his body slowly to his hands and knees, blood leaking abundantly from his mouth. "If I hadn't birthed to my children, I may have had no opportunity to even use Instantaneous Movement. You truly are a match for me."

Standing up slowly, his Nameccian cells repaired the bruises to his body and the taste of copper in his mouth began to recede. Scarlet eyes opened to stare at the pair of Super Saiyans, their faces a mixture of disappointment and anger. His hands unfurled open, spread out at an angle to each side while placing a foot in front of the other in a slight forward lean.

"Here's a reward for all of your effort, Universe 6," Cell declared, his body beginning to gleam in a transcendent glare of divine light. An orb of blinding hue overlapped the top of the arena, unfurling his silhouette within that shifted his outer shell into a golden plating with violet dots, his flesh turning into a stark purple and his physique bulking up slightly. When the dome of generating power dispersed, his aura would rein in and reveal a glamorous aurora of golden-silver flame, thrumming with an ominous flare about his person. "Behold, my Perfect Gold!"

"Tch! So you copied a Super Saiyan in more than just energy color, huh?" Caulifla crudely retorted with a dubious expression on her face. "Let's take him down, Kale!"

"Yes, together!" She affirmed.

"They don't know," Goku mouthed with wide eyes, his jaw slackened and sweat beading off his face. "They can't sense _ki_; they don't know he'll take them apart!"

"NO!" A distantly seated Cabba began to cry out, having just awakened from his unconscious stupor Cell had ridden him in. "HE'S TOO STRONG! DON'T DO IT, CAULIFLA! KALE!"

"Shut up, Cab-!"

In an attempt to dismiss her fellow Saiyan, Caulifla threw her full weight into the obnoxiously smirking face of Cell. Not even dodging, the fist slammed in full impact, followed by Kale's own punch crashing into the opposite cheek.

But he didn't budge. The air crackled, the connections solid and releasing a concussive wave of kachi katchin cracking kinetic force. Even while being engulfed in lime and yellow auroras of lightning entangled energies, the pair looked on with sudden realization.

A pair of rising uppercuts warped their torsos to show stretched indentations along their backsides from punching their abdomens. Their eyes bulged, eyes dilating and mouths spewing out blood as they bowed with the blows.

"I told you didn't I?" Cell questioned wryly, throwing them with a forward lean, catapulting them with a twisting throttle of both arms. "I'm stronger than you two!"

Both of them were sent hurtling across the ring, skipping across its surface and dragging violently against the uneven debris along the way. Gingerly holding their waists, the pair writhed on the ground, eyes wincing past the pain they had felt. Coughing wads of ichor from their throats, one looked to the other and grimace with admission to his claim wasn't a hoax.

Standing, despite this, Cell suddenly stepped between them his hands pointed at them with a smile on his face. Those hands turned into furled digits with only a single pointing to each of them, priming crackling crimson energy.

Then, a hail of piercing kikoha sang towards them.

They leaned away, Caulifla feeling one cut her cheek open while the other cut through Kale's hairs as she dodged a midge quicker than her mentor. The latter used agility to backward somersault away from Golden Cell, the series of bolts precise but not casting larger explosions than previous kikoha. Maximizing energy efficiency, Cell intended to incapacitate the pair with these attacks before taking what energy they had for himself.

It was just a matter of time before they'd wear down.

Kale was barely a step ahead of this newer, shinier Bio-Android. It pained her that she had to use all of her focus to avoid the deadly game of dodge the finger beam and be drawn further away from her beloved friend. This left her with the painful periphery gaze of Caulifla doing worse at avoiding this barrage of attacks sent her way.

In fact, they began to slice through her skin far more than she was starting to dodging them.

"A-AH! NGH! HA!" Caulifla began yelling out in agony, feeling each one target bundles of nerves around her joints, purposefully guided as to not hit her organs and only her appendages. In between it all, she saw Kale doing much better than she was, filling her with pride and self-deprecation. How was she supposed to inspire her protege when she was acting like this?

"Yes, that's it," Cell remarked with a dark laugh. "Keep dancing for me! Let's see how long this keeps up! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

What he wasn't anticipating, however, was how Kale was starting to instinctually adapt to the flow of his kikoha. She couldn't explain how but, the longer she was seeing him gesture and fire, the more she could understand the method behind his attacks. Her body was beginning to flow with an even higher energy than before, rising up and bubbling to the surface. Her bristling currents of crackling energy began to roar more fiercely, dredging up more and more. Gritting her teeth, she had the image of Goku's long-haired man, the form being just enough to halt her before her power overtook him. She needed that power while retaining her mind.

Anything to save her mentor!

"Hngh! Gak! Hlk!" Caulifla grunted, swerving in and around, drawing closer to Cell while intentionally drawing close to the beams. Even while a handful penetrated her thighs and shoulders, she pulled back her head and throttled it straight towards his face.

Much to her chagrin, she'd feel a derisive slap backhand her away.

"Nice try, but that maneuver only works if you can match me," Cell mocked her with a laugh, his eyes taken off Kale in favor of watching his finger stretch out to renew firing finger bullets. "Now why don't you dance some more for me?"

"HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

"What-?" The Bio-Android turned, his eyes shutting close as a blinding flare of lime energy exploded from Kale in a twister of pure energy. His kikoha swerved around the twister of light, spinning away into fizzling sparks, her power shooting straight into the infinite sky of the World of Void. Bolts of jagged lightning cascaded across the arena, lapping at the central pillar and dragging along the floor, uprooting more layers of kachi katchin with its enormous pull of power.

Jiren's eyes flinched at the mere feeling of this _ki_, but maintained his concentration through it.

Emerging through it, came a standing form of Kale, surrounded by a halo of lime-coated flames with a song of lightning swerving around her in rings of jagged pulses. Her lipstick dissolved to pull into a snarl of contempt, staring at Cell at an angle with her hairless brows pulled into a primitive yet completely conscious glare. Heat beaded off her in waves, steam escaping into the ring like clouds of gaseous rage.

"N-No way!" Goku gawked with glee, leaning forward till he was almost leaning off the stands with his hands balled up into reflexive fists and a broad smile on his face. "That's...Super Saiyan 3!"

"I-Impossible!" Shin cried out with his hands pressed onto his Mohawk scalp with distress. "Didn't you only show that form once? Kale shouldn't have seen it more than once, and she was out of her mind before!"

"It seems these Saiyans are beyond even our own in traditional conventions of powering up," Whis inferred with a chiding smile.

"Wow...now _I'm_ really jealous, hahahaha!" Goku laughed with excitement. "He gets to fight someone so strong. I bet Cell's really happy about this!"

Cell was definitely pleased by this outcome, if not more than surprised.

The Bio-Android turned to fully face this powered up Kale, seeing her go beyond just as Goku had. He hadn't anticipated to mimic it so completely and thoroughly. While it had the telltale signs of it being more her own power with its accents being more viridescent than gold, but the consistency in the power was definitely there.

"Well, I did want to draw out some more power from you Universe 6 Saiyans," Cell intoned with a smirk on his face. "This just makes it more worthwhile in taking that energy from you."

A shift in space took place that made Cell's eyes dilate. Arcing in the air around behind him, the trail of lime followed her with her hair, a fist swinging around to slam into his crown with him feeling it coming. Dropping to the ground he slammed his palms down and threw his legs up into a donkey kick towards her face. She pulled back, spiraling around to lance a lightning-sprouting kick straight into his inverted abdomen, throwing him clear across the arena into the face of the pillar with a loud crash.

"K-Kale," Caulifla gasped, looking up with blinking surprise.

"Sis!" Kale turned around, kneeling to look over her injuries with dismay. "Are you alright? You look so hurt!"

"You look so cooooooooooool!" Caulifla gushed, smiling despite herself ear to ear, her hands clapping Kale's cheeks and rubbing the hairless spots along her brows. "Why did your eyebrows go? And your pretty lipstick is gone too! This form looks really strange now that I look up close but boy it feels like you're buzzing!"

"N-Not now, sis," She tried to discourage her, her face blushing up despite her current power.

Their eyes widened as Cell's feet landed on either side of them. Turning, they'd see a boot shaped burn on his otherwise immaculate golden thorax. Next thing they'd find two arcs of energy flowing off his knuckles, a pair of Dodon-Pa slamming into their faces.

"G-Gaulk!" Caulifla spat out more blood, her nose crushed and several teeth shattered while her body was sent sprawling backwards.

"Ngh, Sis!" Kale shouted with concern, deflecting the trail of energy away with as wipe of her hand. She'd have just long enough to witness the Bio-Android pull back his body and unleash a Kamehameha straight towards the still skidding Caulifla. Eyes trailing towards the stream of light heading towards her friend she'd streak herself towards it, placing herself in its path with hands stretched out to grasp it.

Much to her shock and horror, the Kamehameha bent around her hands, flowing around her right and whipping her hair as a cry of pain followed a blast that sent her tumbling forward. Her stomach dropped, her eyes shakily turning to see a burned Caulifla, bleeding out on the arena and grimacing through the injuries she sustained. She felt cold all over, and the sight of it was making her nauseous.

"Don't worry," Cell admonished distantly, standing upright with a smile armed on his face. "I made sure not to kill her; I do want to sample some of her energy after all."

"YOU!" Kale screamed out, turning on her heels and lunging madly at the terrifying Bio-Android. A flash of red lapsed over Cell, making Kale blink right before feeling her jaw explode by an instantly appearing fist. Spewing out teeth as her body reeled back, she'd suddenly see him head straight towards him. Just as she'd stretch out her palm the flash of red happened again and her whole body lurched with a teleporting punch. Crashing into the ground, she'd be ground against the splintering kachi katchin and thrown up into the air, stabbed by a slew of piercing kikoha by Golden Cell below.

And that's when her seemingly boundless energy spasmed across her body, causing her to cry out in pain.

"I see," Cell narrowed his eyes, lowering his finger as Kale dropped to the ground in a bouncing heap, writhing in place as she gasped for air. "That form depletes a lot of _ki_, doesn't it? If you had mastered _ki_ control and spent more time in that form, you'd likely have it sustain awhile longer. But as it stands, you're no longer as much of a challenge as I expected."

"_That and I discovered I'm adept enough to use Kaioken with my Perfect Gold form. Thanks to watching Goku, I remembered this technique and it works perfectly...for now..._"

"S-Sis," Kale stretched her palm out, her mane retracting into her scalp and her body returning to its base form. Caulifla, despite her injuries rustled through her puffy pants and flicked something towards Kale. Even as she squirmed with a numbing feeling spreading over her, she grasped the shining object and saw it for what it was. "This is...!"

"Put...it on," Caulifla weakly said, grinning as she gave a burned thumb's up towards her. "We'll beat him...together..."

"Put what on?" The Bio-Android inquired with a raised brow. As he stepped forward he felt a sudden sense of something unfolding he hadn't seen before. The two suddenly had twinkling earrings, green jewels of spherical design wedged into a golden chain locked up to their ears. Glaring at them, he murmured aloud. "What is this?"

Their bodies were drawn across the ground to one another, slamming with a surprising amount of force and unleashing a virulent twister of golden-lime light. This forced the Bio-Android to hold his arms up to brace against the sudden rise of titanic energy. The _ki_ he was sensing wasn't their power just combining; it was becoming something else entirely.

"What the Hell is this?" The halo-wearing terror inquired with a swing of his arms, shouting angrily at this trick that was pulled off. "Who are you?!"

"Me? I'm Kale, and Caulifla, the two strongest beings of Universe 6," The voice ebbed aloud, slowly rising up to standing at full height. When the silhouette that was a combination of the pair lit up, he'd see they wore a pink dyed sleeveless top and a tight bottom into a pair of boots that belonged to Kale. With arched blades of black hair spiked like Caulifla's but done in a ponytail like Kale's emerged, he'd see their earring framed face grin confidently at them, their black eyes shining confidently at him. "I'm Kefla. Wanna dance for me, Cell?"

* * *

**A/N**: And we're finally here! While I have to admit, this is a bit longer than I intended, you've all been asking for a Kale and Caulifla battle against Cell for awhile and I aimed to deliver. Thing about this is I wanted to show-off the form of Super Saiyan 3 on one of them and it ended up being Kale on a whim. With Cell using a few bursts of Kaioken over his Perfect Gold to overwhelm her quickly, the haste was in response to him wanting to absorb their energies sooner rather than later given how few people are left on the stadium (and I wanted to not drag this out to 10K which could've happened).

As for Jiren, I did all I could to make Anilaza vs Jiren a much more enjoyable fight than I originally planned it to be. Using preestablished abilities both of the show and what Nigrissi showed to Gohan, I gave him a pretty good chance of fighting the guy before he was overwhelmed completely. A glimpse at full power Jiren of course was just for funzies, and I like showing a marker of which to surpass instead of it being completely kept in the dark until the very end. I know it's not him being 'roided out, so to speak, but this is as close as everyone will see for him being full power until later.

Poor Catopesra, you're just a joke and will always remain one.

For the next chapter, Cell vs Kefla begins! How will Perfect Gold stack up to the ultimate fusion of Universe 6? Find out in the eventual update of A Perfect Tournament!


	12. A Perfect Capture

Incredible!

Cabba was stunned by what Caulifla and Kale had transformed into. He didn't think something like this was achievable. Was this magic? Or was this some sort of secret technique? He had figured it was tied into those mysterious earrings the two put on.

"HEHEHEHEHEHEHE!" Champa chuckled out, his once nervous breakdown turning into an ecstatic exclamation. "YES! I knew giving them those Potara Earrings would pay off! HAHAHAHAHA YEAH!"

"Hey, that's cheating!" Beerus finally shrieked out, his finger pointing at the person standing before Cell. "That Kafla or whatever shouldn't exist! They smuggled those earrings into the stage and now they fully recovered!"

"It's not against the rules," The Grand Priest proclaimed with smirking shrug. "It isn't a healing item nor a weapon. It isn't any different than what Universe 3 did with Anilaza. Besides..."

"Ooooooooooooooooooooh!" The Zen'ou awed with sparkling gleams coming off their eyes. "So coooooooooooooooooooool!"

"Zen'ou approves," He finished with a chuckle, much to the violet skinnier feline's dismay.

Looking over, much to his chagrin, Champa bared his teeth in a smug grin. Raising a middle finger at him, he merely pulled his lower eyelid down and stuck his tongue out. Standing up with anger, Whis cleared his throat, causing the Hakaishin of Universe 7 to stop and sit himself back down with a harrumph.

"To think they'd use Potara Fusion like Goku and Vegeta did," Elder Kaioshin blinked with surprise. "A body of that quality could last forever, hehe! What I wouldn't give to cop that booty-!"

"Wait," Goku turned to look at the older Kaioshin with curiosity, ignoring his lewd facial expression and clawing hands reaching out in the air. "Gowasu said the Potara only last for an hour."

"WHAT?!" The Old Kaioshin shrieked with outrage. "Why he say that nonsense?!"

"Well," Shin raised a finger, explaining with a sheepish smile. "When we went to confront Zamasu in a parallel future, they resorted to using Potara earrings. In fact, they used my own, and they barely lasted a fraction of the full time limit when they turned Blue."

"Ridiculous!" The elder Shinling screamed, his head seemingly larger than his body in his fury. "My Potara last forever, period, end of story. Why would they be treated differently in another Universe?! Who designed them that way?!"

"P-Please Elder, you need to calm down-"

"You stay out of this!"

"It's incredible regardless," He turned to look back, seeing Kefla bathed in a thrumming glow of silvery light off her pores. "Ahhh! Now I'm really _really_ jealous! Cell's fighting the strongest Saiyan ever, and I'm missing out!"

Jiren could barely keep his composure. The energy quality of the two known as Kale and Caulifla shifted so dramatically it was on a completely other plane. Still, as he could sense, it was just another arbitrary increase in power. Nothing to be concerned with. His own reserves reached much more deeply than theirs could. Returning to his meditation, he figured his comrades could handle themselves in the fact of such an immature power.

Cell, meanwhile looked stunned. The concept of fusing two beings in this way was beyond his comprehension. It was one thing to simply absorb the essence of living beings or combine machinery to create a superior entity, but this? This was just a magic that went beyond simply materializing objects and clothing that he was used to from the likes of Piccolo and other lower echelon gods.

"Mmmmmmmmm," Kefla inhaled, humming with delight as she savored the feeling she was experiencing. "Wooooooooooowwwwww. This is really amaaaaaaazzzzzzziiiiiiiiiiing!"

Gripping her hands on either side of her, she'd suddenly look at Cell while unleashing a fierce eruption of silvery ghostly light. Laughing aloud in a cocky manner, her voice was a mixture of the softer cadence of Kale and a rough chirp of Caulifla, their personalities merging into a predictably arrogant combination due to how close they mirrored one another.

"THIS IS THE BEST! I FEEL SO POWERFUL; LIKE MY POWER HAS NO END IN SIGHT!" She bellowed out loud, her mantle of power shrieking upwards with an immense amount of pressure across the ring beneath her feet. "YES! THIS IS THE BEST! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

"Well, this certainly is...new," Cell murmured, his eyes narrowing at the insufferably haughty creature standing before him. "But don't get ahead of yourself, _Kefla_. Perfect Gold is still more than a match to deal with your new body."

"Oh yeah?" The Fused Warrior inquired with a smirk. "We'll see about that!"

Leaning back, she'd suddenly zoom forward, a solid streak of high velocity that was vaguely pink and black in its detail. The Bio-Android barely had time to move out of the way, lurching to the right to avoid being struck by the high octane energy flowing about her.

"Oops!" Kefla spoke behind him, her body craned forward with a leg poised upward and her upper body aimed downward with arms splayed backwards. Turning to smile embarrassingly at him, she chuckled aloud. "I went a bit too fast, haha!"

"While your power is no joke, you're still a rank amateur," The Golden Android intoned with a smirk, turning around to face her with more reassurance in himself. "I commend this ploy. Turning your last moments of desperation into renewed hope is something I didn't anticipate. _Which will make crushing it all the more savory._"

"We'll see about that," The Potara Fighter began to speak.

In the next second she fizzled out of view, blurring forward with a fist pulled back that threw straight into the path of Golden Cell's purple set of knuckles with a mighty crack. The air between them ignited, releasing a palpable explosion of flames that buckled the kachi katchin beneath them and distended between their feet. Even as they descended, their arms flew in tandem with one another, striking with enough force to duplicate the first combustion of pure friction.

Violet-accented golden carapace appendages parried muscle taut smooth limbs, the pair seemingly evenly matched as their initial clash continued to carry them around their vicinity. Every attack thrown would be met by a counter and every follow-up was avoided if not outright deflected. The pair continued to carry on with an intense fervor, scarlet eyes tracking black circles as their smiles were practically feverish.

Despite the ferocity, they knew that their battle had just begun!

* * *

"That energy's crazy," Kuririn declared, having just recently dodged against Rabranra's latest tail swipe. "I can't believe Cell's this strong, but this new Saiyan girl's something else!"

"I'll say," Tenshinhan withdrew from his assault against Zirloin, both of them sharing a few marks of their endured battle. "But to have them resort to fusion? Cell really must be out of this world in strength to take them on even now!"

"Let's wrap our fight up with these fellas before seeing if we can help out Piccolo and the others," Muten Roshi declared, exchanging a few rapid slaps humorously with Zarbuto. "I have a feeling they're going to need our help before this is over."

Just as they said this, a bristling current of majestic energy rose up and enveloped the three.

"D-Do you feel that?" Zarbuto inquired with a sudden dawning of what he was feeling.

"Yes," Rabranra said with a bead of sweat crawling down his coral colored face. "This is...the hope of everyone in Universe 2, depending on us to make it back home!"

"Such overwhelming love! It's so heavy, yet it's a burden we must bear!" Zirloin cried out, his eyes tearing up as he clenched his fists hard and let the current of light subsume him.

"That's right," Brianne's voice carried to them, unheard by the Earthlings of Universe 7, but echoing in their minds without any hint of fear in her voice. "This is the hope of all those in Universe 2. We are there, behind you. The seven of us, the gods; love is on our side and it will give you a power greater than even the Kamikaze Fireballs!"

"YESSSSSSSSSSSSS!" The three joyously exclaimed as a light shined brilliantly between the trio.

The trio surged in strength, eclipsing the three in power as a rise of cosmic light transformed them. Shifting in appearance, they'd mimic the forms of the Kamikaze Fireballs. Zirloin became embroidered in the pointy-hatted broad-skirt adorned gown over his disproportionately muscular body of Ribrianne; Zarbuto was wrapped in the confines of a yellow-visor, arched purple hat and yellow martial arts gi top with a purple pair of pants of Roasie; and finally Rabranra was clothed in the garbs of Kakunsa, with a black domino mask that made his eyes appear red behind them and other assorted intricacies to her uniform.

"This energy is intense!" Kuririn grimaced with a wry smile. "I don't suppose this could be the end for us, huh?"

"Too late to give up now," Tenshinhan declared, grasping the hem of his cloak's top and pulling it off. Beneath it lied his scarred, burly muscular body, leaving his lower body still embroidered by his ceremonial robes. Gripping his hands tight at his side, he'd let out a hallowed battle cry as he'd ignite a silvery white aura around himself. "We fight together!"

"That's right," Muten Roshi intoned, flexing his body up to maximum power, his own body emitting a similar dyed power. "We may not have their literal power of their Universe's hope, but we still have everything riding down on us. Let's show them the spirit of our martial arts!"

"I'll agree to that...HAAAAAAAAA!" Kuririn cried out, releasing his own power to the utter maximum it could go. They may not be the strongest of their team, but they'd be damned if they didn't give it their all as well.

When the three Fireballs charged at them, the three performed a triple layered gesture that'd catch them in a single move.

"TAIYOKEN!" The trio spoke, unleashing a combined blaze of blinding light that stunned the three in their tracks and reeling in paralyzed blindness.

"Quickly!" Roshi hastily spoke, rushing forward to gut punch Zarbuto up into the air. "While they can't fight back!"

"HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA!" Tenshinhan howled as he unleashed a hail of precise thrusting jabs at all vital areas he could cover on the cosmic enhanced Zirloin. Just as he was beaten back, eyes wincing trying to see past the veil of the glare obscuring his eyes, the man three-eyed man pulled back and formed his ultimate technique. Despite the vast difference in power, he unfolded his hands in a triangular shape and let out a hallowed cry. "SHIN KIKOHO!"

"KAMEHAMEHA!" Kuririn and Roshi followed after their comrade, unleashing a pair of identical blasts of blue as the instantaneous blast of gold threw out Zirloin ahead of Zarbuto and Rabranra. The trio, despite their swift transformation, were unable to fight back against the coordinated assault of their Earthling opponents.

Regretfully, the three-eyed Earthling looked up with the others towards the floating stands, seeing them sat by their side with their heads hung. But, to their collective surprise, they embraced each other with an empathetic sign they showed no ill will to those who were defeated nor scorn to those who had done this to them. In a declaration by the Grand Priest and a flicker of divine power, the erasure of Universe 2 came as quickly as it went.

"You three did well to last this long."

The voice sounding from behind the Earthlings brought their spines to chill to the bone. Shakily turning, they'd see the black studded trench coat of the purple skinned, red-eyed assassin of Universe 6 standing with his health completely renewed. The mere sensation of his _ki_ brought them to stillness and they couldn't help but wonder what hope they had.

For a moment, they had renewed hope when a trio of Cell Juniors appeared in front of him, igniting with a golden aurora similar to their progenitor's own transformation.

But, in an instant, a trio of violet lines were seen escaping the miniature spawns' skulls, followed by them falling inert to the ground.

"He defeated them all...in an instant," Kuririn spoke with a backward step, quivering in fear. "And they're dead; just like that!"

"I've progressed far beyond what I was before," Hit stoically informed, his eyes glaring at the three. "Throw yourselves off the ring and make it easier on yourselves."

"We won't give up without a fight," Tenshinhan declared with bared teeth, raising his hands up to form the triangular shape just as before. "SHIN KIKO-"

In a single thrust into the three-eyed Crane Schooler's neck and the man flew backwards, off the edge of the ring.

"Tenshin-AHN!" Kuririn tried to call after him, only for his body to billow outward, Hit's leg taking him along in a single arc straight into the abyss beyond.

"HM!" Roshi threw a full powered fist, the assassin deftly backpedaling away, veering back and forth away from the Turtle Hermit's moves. Just as he performed Time Skip, Roshi barely withstood the hit, stumbling backwards while holding up his stance. "Don't think you'll do me in with just one blow."

"Hmmm," Hit hummed, placing his hands in his pockets while eyeing him up. "You saw through my Time Skip. Interesting."

"Of course not. But I can anticipate where you're most likely going to hit and position myself an instant before so you don't hurt me as bad," He reckoned with a smile, his shades twinkling with mischief. "I don't have whatever that fancy set of moves Goku did nor do I have Jiren's superior reflexes. But I can still hold my own as the God of Martial Arts."

"That's good," Hit commented with narrowed eyes. "I'd be disappointed if you all went down in a single strike."

Then, in a moment, Hit found himself leaping to the side and avoiding a narrow kikoha collision from the side. From the wafting smoke he looked up, spotting a pillar hanging Saiyan, who aimed an outstretched palm with a pair of glaring eyes aimed his way.

"G-Gohan!" Roshi exclaimed with relief and surprise.

"Son Gohan," Hit intoned with a focused glare. "Come to save the last of your comrades?"

"Not only that," Gohan spoke boldly, suddenly dropping with an ignition of silvery-translucent white light erupting mightily from his body. "I'm here to defeat you."

"I see," Hit unpocketed his hands, raising them in a simple guard in front of his face. "Then I suppose it's time to...get to work."

* * *

He had sensed it and Cell couldn't believe how much could happen in a short amount of time. Two of the Earthling fighters were knocked out and the last of his children he birthed were eliminated. If he could trust his senses beyond the fight, it had to be Hit. He knew it was a risk relieving Frost of the stands to erase any pretense of them truly joining forces but he only did it to keep him from outright shooting him in the back. Now with him gone, Hit had no obligation to hold back on Universe 7 and his current engagement with Roshi wouldn't be a long one. A spike of familiar _ki_ had made him feel an inkling of relief but also doubt, as Gohan leaped in to rescue Roshi from certain defeat.

But he couldn't worry about that, or pay heed they had successfully led to the erasure of yet another Universe. This Kefla was a truly dangerous foe, despite the two's lack of experience Goku or Vegeta had possessed. Combined their inherent battle sense and overall increase in power more than made up for it. Perfect Gold was holding them back, but he knew he'd have to find a way to close the gap less he'd be caught with his proverbial pants down.

"Not bad not bad not bad!" Kefla repeatedly spoke with a smile, her fists a wave of redundant attacks that traded blows with Cell's own amethyst dyed fists. "You've got nice power! Feels nice to hit against!"

"And you're not a bad warm-up for the main course," Cell complimented with a jeering grin, continuing to hold his own throughout the harrowing exchange of strikes. Clashing one last time with each other's fists, splitting the air apart in visible warps of exploding atmosphere, the pair locked fingers against each other and began to physically push against one another. A taunting smile spread toothily from ear to ear as the Bio-Android laid it in thick as he developed crackling tension between his palms and hers. "But I'm curious. Is this all you have to offer? An arbitrary increase of power and a modicum addition of skill?"

Just as he was grinning, the Potara Warrior just sneered with a deepened knitted brow.

Stomping in between Cell's legs, she'd loosen her stance just enough to cause the insect-themed Android to stumble forward. With hands still locked the frayed-ponytail whipped backwards with knees tucked tight against her bosom; unfurling with a snapping pair of feet slamming against his jaw.

"Ngh?!" Cell spat out blood, feeling his own crown ringing from the impact her feet had against his own perfect jawline.

"Not done yet!" He heard her squeal out, carrying the momentum of her kick to flip backwards and haul Cell's clenched palms with her. With a dramatic hurtle she twisted around and slammed his winged back into the crater of the arena they had formed with a thunderous crash. Turning around with a violent spin she'd send him hurtling across space to be sent skidding back on all fours.

Righting himself, he'd be in time to see a shrill whine form around both of her crisscrossed arms.

"Now taaaaaaaaaaaaake," She'd stomp forward, streaking her arms in an X and unleashing a salvo of energy spheres towards him. "THIS!"

They possessed emerald outlines with crimson cores, hurtling towards with a negative rotation to each other, casting a single line of eviscerating currents towards him.

Cell responded in kind, standing immediately up and firing both index fingers an array of lancing red kikoha towards his opponent's line of explosive orbs. Much to his surprise, despite piercing them through, the the aura of lime careened forward with the scattered centers. Realizing an inevitable collision was upon him, he'd leap upwards to avoid the vista of destruction heading towards him.

Jumping over it, he'd see as much as feel a pair of the same spheres but arching up on either side to hit his opposing flanks. Raising his palms, he intended on stopping them with his Capturing Light Shell-

**CLAP!**

-only to be stopped by a pair of palms clapping by Kefla to ignite the pair of spheres prematurely. The explosions sandwitched the Bio-Android in the middle, crushing him inward and singing his pristine exoskeleton by the overlapping heat of both kikoha.

Dropping to the ground with a plop, a smoking frame of Cell emerged.

"Still think I'm just all flash and no substance, Cell?" Kefla crowed with a devious smirk adorned across her face.

Stepping out of the soot he cast, the fused Saiyan could see her handiwork better. Scorch marks were shown across his upper body, splaying from his arms over his chest to his wings. Parts of his face showed signs of burning, sizzling flesh accrued over his violet skin, a line of blood escaping the corner of his mouth and out one nostril.

He wasn't smiling, though.

"What's the matter?" Kefla raised a pair of hands, shaking her head with a chuckle. "I thought you'd be impressed by that. Where's the compliments now, huh?"

Spitting a wad of ichor out, Cell flexed his thorax and arms, the injuries jettisoning a spray of crimson around the arena floor. Kefla's eyes blinked and saw all signs of injury was erased in an instant, revealing the Bio-Android's thin glaring face aimed towards her.

"Oh that's cool! You can heal, like our Nameccian buddies," The Fused Champion noted, having remembered tangling with the antenna adorned race awhile back in one of her halves' past. Raising a palm she gripped it into a tight fist, smirking beside herself. "It's not going to make a difference. I'm going to pound you so hard you won't even recover from it!"

Suddenly, a piece of debris rustled behind the combined combatant's feet, slamming into the base of her back. It stung and little else, but it provoked her into turning around to seeing the cause of it.

A sudden slice of parting air followed by a fist wedging straight into her abdomen told her it was just a ruse; one Cell had concocted with a burst of telekinesis.

"Ow!" Kefla growled, stepping back and swinging a leg around to arc over to hit the Android's head. Instead it whiffed, and an instantaneous appearing emerald terror struck her from behind with a rising knee. Snarling she turned around to chop at his neck only to receive another teleporting strike across the jaw from her left.

"GRRR!" The Potara Warrior snarled out, raising her arms in a defensive posture, receiving a number of vanishing attacks from various angles. Her eyes looked to and fro, seeing his image appear then scant away before she could pinpoint her foe precisely. Each hit was significant enough to bring out grunts of pain from her lips, her feet struggling to plant her firm into the uneven floor.

Then, she saw the faint outline of space of Cell moving just as he'd pull back.

"HA!" The Fused Fighter howled with a palm-heel thrust into his upper torso; releasing a point blank kiai that exploded the front of his chest cavity with a shower of blood.

"GAULK!" Cell spat out, feeling his body hurtled backwards straight across the ring and slammed into the distant pillar's face. He felt his spine rattle, his head cracking against its back and the fire sweeping his gaping torso's front oozing blood and tissue. Gripping onto the column to keep himself from falling he heaved, feeling bile escape his mouth in an abundant trail from his lips.

"Daaaaaaaaaaaaamn!" Kefla exclaimed with an exaggerated drawl, her eyes slowly blinking with a partly disgusted, partly awed at her own handiwork at the distantly brutalized Android. "I popped you open like a can of gnarlak! Those punches you threw stung like bee stings, but I'm guessing my hit packs more of a punch, huh?"

Clenching his eyes shut, the Bio-Android could feel a stir within his bones. Even as his Nameccian cells were busy at work crafting new segments to repair his chest, his Saiyan cells registered the damage incurred and the heightened state of battle he was feeling. Freeza and his father's part of his genes afforded him effortless control over his _ki_, taking in the prior two aspects of his physiology to facilitate into improving his body to a further extreme.

Hands that were barely holding himself from falling were now digging deep into the densest material of the Multiverse as if it was paper. His chest, once gored, now splurged with a squelching flex of a brand new chest. A sudden burst of a golden flame igniting around his body, scarlet eyes opened and his body kicked off the face-

-instantly appearing in front of a gleefully smiling Kefla's visage.

A purple fist threw straight into a barely raised arm, this time bruising the skin on contact while releasing an immense shockwave between the pair. Skidding backwards, the Potara Fusion of Kale and Caulifla threw a counter-punch that the Bio-Android slid beside in his approach. Stepping in and behind her backpedaling feet, she'd be cut off from moving back and receive a whipping elbow to the other side of her face.

Bending with the momentum of her offender's strike, she'd place both palms into a wrecking ball towards the crisscrossed arms of the Perfect Gold's defense. The blast was only enough in pushing herself away while he had remained rooted in place.

Pulling the arms down, his eyes unleashed a pair of lancing beams towards her face, forcing the fused combatant to lean back to avoid their cutting rays. Arching her body into a U she spun on her palms, kicking at Cell's follow-up pair of kikoha, sending them scattering to explode on either side of her. Pushing up with a corkscrewing dive of her feet, Kefla charged a pair of shrill _ki_ around her palms and fused both of them into a wrist-clasped center.

The moment Cell leaped to avoid it, she'd thrust the orb towards him, and unleash a devastating shotgun of lime-coated-crimson light.

One he retaliated with a Masenko at her still airborne person.

"WHOA!" Kefla twisted her body in a windmill motion, spiraling her arms to divert the _ki_ wave in a bout of reflexive talent to defuse what would've been a painful impact. Swirling light coasted around her body like a raging river and she diverted it once her feet planted into the ground a distance away into all ten of her fingers. Thrusting them at Cell, she'd unleash kikoha that mimicked his own, missing him as he'd jump over them and roll into a winged ball straight towards her.

Slamming into a pair of crisscrossed wrists with an electric spraying connection of outstretched yellow feet and lime-red coated hands.

And unlike before, the Potara Warrior felt her whole body careen backwards from a now significantly larger body of _ki_ that came with her opponent's flying kick. Staggering back, she'd grin despite herself and leap back towards him, throwing herself into a lime-coated thrust towards him. Catching her enhanced limb with one palm, his heels remained in place and his right arm threw at her-

-elastically jabbing straight into her face, causing her to grit out in pain and her body was flung opposite of her foe. Crashing through angled piles of kachi katchin, the fused fighter coughed out in surprise, feeling each connection bring out actual pain and her velocity not slowing. Not until she released a full-body kiai did she halt her backward thrust, dropping to the ground with visible scuffs and scrapes over her lithe but muscled physique.

Popping his arm back into place, Cell finally smiled with dark satisfaction.

"That's more like it," The Perfect Being declared with a leering stare towards his fused opponent. "I have to say, your battle senses are something else, and your power actually surpassed my own...a couple minutes ago. But now I'd say I'm more than enough to take you down."

"Aren't you forgetting something?"

The Bio-Android hadn't, but part of him wished she did.

He'd watch her hands grip at her sides and she'd let out a feral shout to the heavens. Lime-coated light vented straight from her body, becoming a typhoon of ferocious power that ripped the surface of katchi katchin like cardboard. Lightning sprouted from the earth, and the green highlighted clouds surrounding them swirled with instability in reaction to her skyrocketing power. Her virulent ki became so intense that a pulsing aurora swam around the very visage of Kefla as she became adorned into the trademark power-up of her species.

"HAAAAAAAAAAA!" She howled out with balled up fists, her bare abdomen now a rippling six pack and her arms packing tense biceps interlaced with defined triceps. With her ponytail undone into a frayed mane of viridescent tresses, the blue-eyed Potara Fusion grinned confidently at her Bio-Android nemesis with the utmost confidence. "Say hello to Super Kefla!"

"There's that power I recognize," The halo-accessorized Android stated with a chuckle, raising a finger to point at her with a shaking head. "You Saiyans can never truly go all-out unless you release that transformation of yours. Some things are Universal, I suppose."

"You should be shaking in your boots now, Cell!" Kefla ecstatically proclaimed, her clenched fists upraised with pride. "With this much power, I think I could obliterate the entire stage, if not the whole World of Void."

"Bold boasts," Cell raised a hand towards her, beckoning her to come after him. "But, can you back up that claim?"

"Fine," Kefla she thinly spoke with a smug smirk. "How about I take apart everything below the waist?"

In a split instant, an emerald colored blur of lightning shot across the arena. Pairs of hands raked towards the Bio-Android's abdomen, intending on completely ripping him in half.

But a flash of red followed by a pair of purple colored fists slammed into the sides of her skull brought her to heel.

"Gek-!" She rattled out, her teeth chattering and her vision shaking.

A Sun-colored leg whipped around to thrash at her abdomen, sending the fused warrior stumbling back with blood escaping her mouth. Looking down at her exposed abs she'd see a scorching mark of his foot over her skin, hissing from the contact it made. Staggering back and forth, she'd look on with a few blinks, seeing what looked like a hint of a red aura ghostly appearing and disappearing off the golden flame that ebbed from Perfect Gold.

"What's the matter?" Cell inquired, tilting his chin up mockingly at her. "I'm still standing here. What about you ripping off my legs from my waist?"

"Just you wait!" Kefla proclaimed with a declaring jab. "I'll still mop the floor with you!"

_Go ahead and try it, _Cell thought with a malicious air to his track of thought.

And try she did. Caulifla's hotheaded nature combined with Kale's own tendency to explode temperamentally corralled her into charging after him.

Leaping forward, the Super Saiyan rushed head first without fully recovering from the first blow to her cranium. This left her off balance, allowing Cell to coat himself in fractions of a second in the godly technique that Goku had displayed use in this very tournament.

"_Kaioken!_"

The Bio-Android exploded with an eruption of power, exceeding her foe's power and raising his already substantial Perfect Gold's _ki_ to an even higher peak. Ducking below her forward thrust of a punch, he'd throw a blaze of crimson accented golden luminescence straight into her jaw. Recoiling angrily she'd bolt back and try to hit Cell, only for the same blood colored flash to enhance his faculties and whip his body around to collide into her throat.

As she choked for air, Cell pulled himself back and headbutted her, causing her to reel even more. Stunned she'd receive a number of vicious punches and kicks towards her body, the damage producing sickening crunches of muscle giving way and bones wearing against the force of each kinetic impact. Blood splattered from the amethyst coated knuckles, golden feet bludgeoning against his choice spots to continue inhibit her in the long-run.

But this strategy wasn't without recourse.

"Ngh!" Cell winced visibly, feeling his body spasm with a violent convulsion. It was just a moment but it allowed Kefla to pull back out of reach of his brutal assault.

"O-Ow-ow-ow-ow-ow-ow-ow," Kefla flinched at her bloodied face and bruised frame. "Those hits really hurt!"

"_Is that all they did?_" The Bio-Android inquired silently with narrowed eyes. "_Thankfully, my Nameccian cells are repairing the strain but I'm not feeling a power increase from it. I guess self mutilation doesn't work unless my life is in danger; not something I want to necessarily replicate with my life force in such a precarious spot..._"

"That's a decent combination," Super Kefla remarked, wiping her palm over her stained mouth, spitting out a wad onto the arena floor. "You're still getting stronger, even now? I guess I got no choice but to kick it up another notch to match!"

"What's the matter? Losing faith in your own abilities?" Cell jeered, trying to discourage her from going too high before he had the chance to adapt to her.

"No," She dismissed, raising up clenched fists and swinging them down, releasing an explosive burst of lime colored light that shot into a rising tower of incandescent viridescent lightning into the heavens, forking around while the sharpness of her mane became more pronounced. "I'm just going to keep my word of ripping you in half, bug man!"

It was out of pure instinct that Cell erected his Barrier.

Kefla was there one moment and then performed a linear hooking jab straight towards his waist. The dome of light warped around the curve of her offending appendage, straining to hold her back in a single strike that was aiming to eviscerate him. A follow-up straight popped it like a balloon, much to Cell's horror and instant pain of it planting into his midsection.

"Gaulk!" The Bio-Android gaped with pain, eyes bulging and face contorting into an anguished expression. Bowing back with the blow, he'd find himself throttling backwards across the ring, unable to slow himself as the blast of pain had thrown him through a loop. Before he'd find himself jerking towards the edge of the ring he'd react instinctively and stretch an arm out to impale into the arena floor, jerking his body with a popping slap to the ground.

"That was too clos-"

A follow-up kick slammed into the side of his head, the whole left side of his crest shattering into pieces while his jaw indented into his mouth. Thrown one head over the other he'd find himself slammed repeatedly by consistent attacks by the Super Saiyan 2 that Kefla was now adorned in. His body warped, barely holding itself together through his own mastery of _ki_ control. Flaring up his power at the point of pain to keep the damage to a minimum he still felt the agony swell out with every connection that was made against him.

Opening his mouth, he attempted to unleash a mouth-based kikoha only for it to be slammed shut and his teeth to go flying out with a blistering blast of bluish light. Thrashing out an arm, he'd find it twisted in a painful spiral, left to dangle uselessly at his side. Pointing a palm towards her, he'd see it pointed backward when she backhanded it. Backpedaling only received both knees cracked open with a rising pair of split kicks, causing him to fall back-

-leaving him open to feel a sharp pain and his abdomen torn in half by a clawing motion of Kefla's right hand.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Cell let out a wail of pain, his mutilated face twisted in horrible angles thanks to the disfiguring Kefla's repeated blows inflicted on him. His arms were next to useless and his legs were crumpled away along with a good portion of his abdomen. As he bled out, Kefla chuckled derisively at the maimed bug-man's condition.

"Wow, I kinda feel bad for taking you apart," The Super Saiyan 2 remarked with a jeering smile. "Just a little, though. You kinda had it coming, ya know?"

"Nnnnnnngh!" The Bio-Android struggled to sit upright, feeling his body shake horribly from all the damage he received.

"Why don't you just lay down?" Kefla proffered, raising a glowing palm with an air of finality to her saying it. "I'll make sure to not kill you, just leave you in enough pieces to be sent off the ring."

"A-As if I'd let that...happen!" Cell intoned letting out a pained snarl as his body shook once more and then, a squelch of something popping behind him was heard.

Before Kefla could think of what was happening, a ball of blue shifted into gold and kicked at her face. The hit stung for its size, and she'd see with a jerk of her face to see it was a Cell Junior, freshly spawned for the intent of fighting her.

"You think a little you's going to put me down," She began to say derisively, dodging the mini-Cell's attacks with an effortless sign of avoiding being struck. Planting a punch up its chest, she watched with a smirk as it was split in half and it screamed out in pain. Unleashing a pair of kikoha to atomize its remains, she grinned and turned to look at Cell's form.

Only to see a pair of disembodied legs ramming straight towards her.

"Hngh!" She winced, pushed back a dozen meters from the force alone of the telekinetically propelled appendages. Getting a good grip, she'd lace enough of her energy over it to the point of it igniting it with a burst of her overwhelming power. Tossing the disintegrating limbs aside, she'd finally see Cell squelch freshly regenerated legs out from his waist and twist his arms back into their proper shape. Even his crest was restored along with his teeth and facial injuries.

"Hope you can put up a little bit of a better fight now," Kefla noted with a smirk, her body approaching him in a casual stride towards his person. "It may not be that much better, but still..."

"_Kai._"

"Hm?" Kefla furrowed her brows, her glare poised at his overall physique seemingly bulging outward. His largely exoskeleton anatomy was starting to increase in mass, veins across his neck, face and fists began to throb as blood pumped more fiercely. A swirl of crimson snaked around his golden aura of Perfect Gold, quickly catching alight with a blood dye that painted over his own purple dotted yellow surface.

"O!" He intoned with a throaty inhale, his eyes shrinking into dots and his once amethyst skin becoming a deep burgundy. His flaming _ki_ became a torrent of crimson, his violet dotted array became pitch black and golden plating turned into a jet red. The air became a cacophony of azure ribbons, snapping in and around, the arena trembling by his sheer output of power. His burning pain only outweighed by the seething anger he was pushing himself into this very point.

Some part of Kefla's body had stayed still to watch it unfold, but another in the back of her mind told her to attack him before it was too late. Gritting with hesitation, she'd pull her hand back and throw a kikoha straight towards his face-

"**Ken!**" Cell had let out a harrowing shout, his body releasing a billowing current of air pressure that slapped aside the explosive bullet of energy Kefla sent towards him. Kefla raised her arms to brace against the immense backdraft of energy, her eyes stinging just looking at the vivid scarlet aurora of luminescence that was dancing in front of her. When he had finished powering up, the curtain of light shrank and condensed around his shell of a body, purposefully withholding its virulent energies from escaping his own body.

In a way not unlike how Goku showcased Perfected Super Saiyan Blue, the fused Saiyan would note.

"So, this is your trump card?" The Potara Warrior inquired, grinning wryly despite her skin tingling at the feeling she was getting off him. "I'm getting chills, just feeling that power of yours. Yeah, this will do nicely!"

Stretching out her palm, she beckoned him with a come hither gesture towards him, "Come on! I want to see what this KAI-O-KEN of yours is made of!"

The Perfect _Red_ Being didn't say a word. He simply exhaled a gaseous release of vapor from his mouth in a thick wafting cloud. Clenched fists slowly unfurled and one foot stepped in front of the other.

"Do I have to come over there and mak-" Kefla began to say, suddenly seeing Cell step past her person.

"How?" The Potara Warrior turned to look at him-

-and would feel the back of a closed fist slam against her face like a hammer.

"AGH! NGH! GACK! HLK!" The green haired Super Saiyan exclaimed, her head slamming in a bizarre cartwheel of breakneck momentum. Her head certainly took several skidding slams into the kachi katchin flooring, but her hips, shoulder and back to her breasts also took abrasive slides across the uneven flooring. One palm touch and she'd push herself back to her feet, staggering to her feet with barely enough time to right herself properly.

Feeling the blood ebb from a partially closed left eye, she'd gape at seeing no Cell where she was catapulted from.

"Wher-HNGH!"

A vicious knee slammed straight into her chest, bowing her body back. Unable to go far, she'd have her back kicked in and an instantaneous punch across her jaw, followed up with a kick to her knees to bring her downward. Slamming her into the floor with a deep red palm, an exhaust of golden-red light pummeled her into the ground with sporadic bursts that deepened her into a crater.

Rebutted only by a sudden eruption of lime-coated _ki _the crimson coated Android backpedaled long enough for a freshly bloodied Super Saiyan to jerk her face angrily towards him.

"I'm not...d-done," She growled, her fists contorting into sporadic spurts of chaotic energy. Her whole body conducted an even higher wave of power, her voice releasing a bountiful aurora of power that shot straight into the World of Void's skyline. "I'M NOT NEARLY DONE!"

"_Oh but you are._"

Kefla wouldn't hear the Bio-Android's words. She'd only feel a sudden gout of pain strike the back of her neck and her whole world of vision fade into an obscuring white. By some miracle she had just managed to hold herself from falling onto her face despite feeling her strength wane. Turning around, her eyes glazed over as her enhanced Super Saiyan form losing strength by the second as the crimson coated Android held a pupiless glare that was armed with a disturbing grin.

"I'm impressed by just how tenacious you are. This power of yours surpasses even my own fellow Universe 7 Saiyans; enough that I'd like to keep you around for my own uses," He'd declare with a chuckle, his backside unraveling an exterior appendage she hadn't seen yet.

"I'm not going down," Kefla sneered, shakily raising her arms up weakly to prepare for a continued fight. "I still got a lot of fight left in me...!"

"Oh please, do struggle," Cell taunted with a guttural laugh. "It's far more entertaining when someone puts up futile resistance instead of outright submitting to the inevitable."

Growling out, she lunged forward, lashing her body to tackle him. Instead of hitting his crimson clad body, she'd find her body encased in a sudden broad suction of darkness and a moist overlap of pulsing clenched over her. head down to her elbows. Blinking blearily, she'd see she was surrounded by crimson flesh that congealed around her shape, suckling grotesquely around her and funneling her deeper inside.

"HMMMMMMMMM?!" She muffled out a weak cry of disturbed alarm, unable to quantify what was transpiring. On the outside everyone would see to their horror as a beige colored tail had enveloped over Kefla's upper body, squelching noisily over her flailing lower body with wild kicks. The thin tube showed the definition of the Potara Warrior's female shape, shaking and stretching up to bend around the exterior appendage's curve. Sliding wetly over her knees, her kicking legs were soon quickly slurped up, leaving a wailing bulge to insert into the spacious chest cavity of Cell.

With her fully contained within, a sense of numbness settled over her whole being. Whatever kind of function the insides of this Perfect Being was, it had completely wrested control of the weakening Kefla, outright sapping her strength while holding her captive. Curled into a fetal position, she'd weakly jerk within, finding even the effort of movement becoming an impossibility. Paralyzed against her will, the strongest Saiyan of Universe 6 was now captive to Cell's absorption sac.

Just in time for the crimson to bleed off Cell's now green body, his body staggering from the detriment of his physical strain of holding in all of that power inside of his body. It was a precise mimicry of what he saw, but now, with the Saiyan deposited inside of him, he had a much more prominent energy source that could help him close the gap he desperately needed against Jiren. Still, the only thing he had to wait for, was the sudden outbursts from the sidelines.

"H-He can't do that!" Champa cried out, his face in parts disgust and other parts outrage. "He just killed her, right?!"

"Please, give me some credit!" Cell shouted back, heaving between breaths as his body became accustomed to this new power. Placing a hand over his midsection for emphasis, he smirked derisively at the offended Hakaishin. "It takes the better part of several days before organic matter is completely disposed of. One of my own teammates can attest that she survived the experience after a full week had passed; trust me, she'll still be intact by the time I am done with her."

"W-Why you lousy, disgusting piece of-!"

"He isn't wrong," The Grand Priest announced, looking over at the pair of Zen'ou who were completely enamored by the display of gross but efficient takedown of the fused warrior. "Impressing Zen'ou is one thing, but there isn't anything against the rules about capturing your opponent and using them as a power source. So long as Kefla lives, there shall be no disqualification for Cell."

"OH COME ON!"

"Sit back down, Hakaishin."

The plump, purple feline harrumphed back into his seat, arms crossed and his face becoming all sorts of foul appearing. Despite the ruling being legal he couldn't help but feel like Cell was purposefully sidestepping the rules and just barely scraping by on technicalities.

"Dammit," He swore under his breath, glancing at the pillar as it sank into the floor of the arena. His eyes darted towards Hit who was battling Gohan, his pair of Nameccians still engaged with Vegeta and the Doctor Rota was hiding nearby by a pile of debris. Dyspo was lurking around in the shadows while Toppo fought the two Universe 7 cyborgs in tandem with Piccolo, leaving Jiren alone in his crater to continue meditating.

It was only a matter of time till he was eliminated, of that he felt in the pit of his stomach to be true.

15 Fighters remain and 37.4994 Tacks (or 18 minutes for those who use this form of time keeping) until the Tournament of Power concludes.

* * *

**A/N**: Wow, what a way to end the fight between Kefla and Cell, right? I had struggled on how I wanted the battle between these two to end. Cell has so many tricks up his sleeve it was hard for me to think of how he'd truly get the upper hand in a feasibly pleasing way. On the other hand, Kefla is the epitome of broken cause all Fusions are treated like that. So I wanted to give her all of the credibility of being a tough combatant before giving her Super Saiyan forms; and I know some of you wish I had Super Saiyan 3 Kefla showcased but I felt like that'd just be padding I didn't want to deal with.

In addition I know some people will find this bizarre to have Cell outright absorb Kefla a'la 17 and 18 method. The reason I came with this is not linked to GT as some may think. It's just that I think treating Kefla is a living energizer bunny makes more sense given how ridiculous of a being she is. And given she won't unfuse even by the bizarre retcon rules Gowasu revealed to us in an hour when there's less than 20 minutes left, it's likely this would be a fitting way of keeping her out of the picture while also being a useful provision of energy for Cell to use. And hey, if 18 could survive a whole week of being inside of Cell, I'm sure Kefla can handle how long he plans on keeping her.

Next chapter, we catch up with the other tertiary characters. Find out what, in the next eventual chapter update of A Perfect Tournament!


	13. A Perfect Adaptation

The Tournament of Power had taken an unexpected turn.

Vegeta had been content in dealing some pain to the riffraff of the various other Universes. He had obtained some substantial combat through tangling with Universe 2, 3, and a modicum amount of entertainment through Universe 9 and 4. Each one of them had an incredible amount of tenacity and few of them held back anything at the fore. They gave everything and he respected many of them, even as they were erased.

But now, he felt his past was coming back to the fore as a pair of Nameccians were now tenaciously attacking him with flawless teamwork. The shorter of the pair -and the one most resembling Earth's own Nameccian- was Saonel, who used dirty tactics such as flashing _ki_ akin to a flashbang grenade in order to get a few extra hits while the prince is stunned. Consequently the larger of the two, Pirina, is just as sly as he uses his Nameccian physiology to feint punches being too far away only for them to elongate and take him off guard.

He had been steadily increasing his power ever since crossing paths with them and they had retained the same level of power since the start. It made the torch-haired prince wonder if this was as high as they could go or if they were suppressing their energy. He was hoping it was the latter, given how much they made him work in just his Base form; a power that easily eclipses the old standard of what a Super Saiyan God was capable of years ago.

And then, the unthinkable transpired.

Just as the tense battle between Cell and the two female Saiyans had reached a feverish pitch, the Bio-Android overwhelmed them with a technique he was too familiar with: Kaioken. The change in its use, however, reminded him of what he and his lifelong rival Kakarrot achieved in Perfected Super Saiyan Blue. After hindering the fused combination from powering up even more, she was then absorbed in his memorable signature move he had enabled years ago.

Now his power was going to skyrocket at any given moment, while his own strength was just steadily increasing over the tournament.

Catching Pirina's punch, he'd suddenly release a yellowish-white Aura and land a blow to his stomach, winding the burlier Nameccian. When Saonel attempted to back him up, he'd grasp the larger Nameccian and bodyslammed him against his comrade, sending them sprawling in a heap. Gritting his teeth, the Saiyan prince crossed his arms and scowled at the pair, "I've grown bored of this. Either whip out that hidden power of yours or I'll eliminate you from the ring. There are better fighters I can put my all into than this mediocre demonstration."

The pair grimaced, realizing that their strategy was becoming undone by this powerful warrior.

"_What should we do?_" Pirina inquired telepathically, his eyes shifting over to Saonel as the shorter and leaner of the two glared ahead at Vegeta. "_This one is a Saiyan, and he may rival the other two in power. I can also sense the presence of Godly_ ki _within him; we can't afford to delay any longer._"

"_You're right. Our own Saiyans and even the assassin has put everything they had to bear. There's nothing we can do but attempt to dredge it all out,_" Saonel intoned, turning to stoically stare back at his larger companion. "_We must muster the power of our race!_"

"Well?" Vegeta arched his head to the side, his eyes blankly staring ahead expectantly with arms folded over his chest. "I'm waiting."

"Wait no longer, Saiyan," Saonel grinned grimly. "For the time has come to show you the might of our people."

Those words spoken stirred something within the pair that backed up their vocal claim. They were thankful that it was finally incited and the intense fervor of his comrades had finally united the dormant energy lying in wait.

A glittering mantle of light bristled to the surface, shining radiantly around the two as it surged to the surface. The Saiyan prince stared on with a left arched brow, onyx eyes reflecting the two's energies that danced before his eyes. Deeper than that, he felt something roused beneath the surface of the two warriors that had held their own against him for this long.

Then, in a blink, his eyes widened and he didn't just see nor feel just two Nameccians; he saw hundreds, no, thousands of them all swathed as far as the ring if not more could hold. An incredible weight had been unleashed along with the sensation of immense power and driving spirit. The collective resolve of an entire nation had been solidified into flesh.

Another blink and they'd be instantly in front of him.

"They're faster-hngh!" Vegeta tried to mutter, his body igniting on reflex into the mantle of Super Saiyan as the two struck him on either side. Lifted off of his feet, the force was palpable, his shorter and stout frame launching at high speeds through kachi katchin with barely any sign of slowing. Grimacing, he saw them as streaks of green, giving chase to his soaring form with an intense glare armed on either of their features.

Pulling back his defensive postured arms he discharged a waft of ki from his palms, halting his momentum and soaring himself back towards the duo. Spinning around he'd throw out his legs in a spiral split kick, whiffing by them much to his own remiss. Twisting about to land solidly on the ground, he raised his palms and unleashed a horde of kikoha, continuously blasting at the earth and razing up debris in a shower of fiery smoke.

In return, the Saiyan prince beheld a broad beam of golden light thrusting through the explosions, tearing through the bullets and aiming straight for Vegeta's head.

"Dammit!" He swore, his power increasing with a shower of virulent currents that snapped around him with a shriek. Bladed hair more accentuated and his power increased more so, he pulled the power of his energy into his right arm. When he was overcast in a shine of yellow, he swung it towards the beam, redirecting it up into the swirling clouds of the empty plane.

"_That beam made my hand feel numb,_" He fathomed with a visible shake, pulling his arm back to reveal a scorched mark running from the knuckles up to his forearm. "_This power is beyond even Super Saiyan 2?!_"

"Now that arm is useless," He'd hear a voice say from behind, causing the Saiyan prince to jerk around and narrowly leap away from a cutting saber of _ki_ formed along the dominant arm of Saonel. "I'll be taking the arm from you!"

Swinging in a flurry of blows, the prince bared his teeth and did his best to avoid every single one. The manner of attack was incomparable up until now. All he could feel is a sea of people fighting as a one massive entity. Their power felt limitless and doing so was comparable to his time trying to sense the pit of power that was Majin Buu.

"_For them to surpass powers I've achieved since rising to the plateau of the gods is by no means an easy feat,_" He fathomed, angrily gritting his teeth and veering away from a nimble curve of the blow, the blade cutting across his cheek and splitting it open in a gout of blood.

In that instant, Pirina manifested behind him, and a large gloved fist raised over his head to throw down on the torch-haired crown of the prince.

"It's over!" The burlier Nameccian bellowed out.

No.

It's far from that.

A hand reached out to catch the gloved fist and the blade shrouded arm of the two Nameccians. Saonel's eyes widened with Pirina's, each of them sensing the swirl of mortal _ki_ vanishing in exchange for a surge of divine power.

Flames of golden-red swathed outward in a gentle incline, the muscular build softening to something more lithe and a pair of red eyes stared at the more lean Nameccian impassively. The sheer output of energy caused the sky of the void to swirl ominously, rumbling about and shaking the very foundation of the arena floor beneath their feet. The emerald skinned fights gnashed their teeth and leaped backwards, skidding across the uneven floor to stare in a combined grimace at the now godly powered Saiyan.

"You have my condolences, Universe 6 Nameccians," Vegeta gutturally proclaimed out, stepping forward towards Saonel while keeping an eye on Pirina behind him. "Your sacrifices, however noble, will not sway me. I have a family at home that I cannot allow to be erased, and yours must be the first to vanish instead."

"Your Super Saiyan God power doesn't frighten us, Saiyan!" Pirina bellowed out from behind.

"The fate of our race was sealed the moment we combined with their life force," Saonel declared with a wry smile. "There's no turning back, one way or another. That said, our Universe is populated by tens of trillions. To abandon them all would make the sacrifice of Namek mean nothing!"

"Then come face me, proud warriors of Namek," Prince Vegeta beckoned, turning his body to side glance them both. "Show me the resolve of your people before I send you into oblivion."

* * *

He was in trouble.

While Gohan had boasted confidence he had came into the fight with uncertainty. Based on what he saw of the battle against Jiren, Hit was perhaps the most dangerous person in the whole Tournament of Power, even more so than his own father. He had abilities beyond normal and even possessed a staggeringly swift level of adaptation that matched if not surpassed even the Saiyan's genetic ability to get stronger in battle.

But so far...

"Thirty two," Hit spoke aloud, his red eyes glaring ahead while pocketing his hands in his coat. "That's how many blows you've taken so far. I'm impressed you're still standing."

"And I'm surprised...you talk this much," Gohan wryly smirked, though his body did wince. He had came in swinging and had been caught off guard with the first few blows that barraged his form. The hits were heavy and precise, slipping through his defenses effortlessly. Even though he was aware of this Time Skip power, he still had yet to formulate a defense against it.

"That guy," Beerus sneered, his eyes leering over at a smug looking Champa who had his arms comfortably crossed and smirking at his current loss of numbers. "Hit's still a problem. And without you there-"

"He'll find a way," Goku said with a simple smile.

"Well aren't you calm, mister first-one-out?!"

"I am bummed and sorry," The Turtle Schooler raised his hands up, a sheepish smile turned into a bright confident one. "But this is my son. Of anyone on our team, he's the one who'll reach higher than anybody else."

"And how can you be so sure?"

"Because he's my son."

It was said in such an unwavering certainty that Beerus was both flabbergasted and taken aback. When he was surprised time and again by the opponents in this Tournament of Power, he had honestly expressed as such without regard of how he looked. But here, in this moment, his firstborn was battling against one of the most frightening beings in the Multiverse; a man who nearly toppled Jiren on his own.

Arms crossed and looking on while Kibito healed the unconscious Kuririn and Tenshinhan, the other gods could only look on with fear and uncertainty while Whis looked on with stoic intrigue.

"Thirty three."

Hit said in the next instant, his body sideways launching a pistoning left straight through his raised guard into his chest.

"Thirty four."

He muttered again, this now punching a nerve bundle in his left shoulder.

"Ngh," The son of Goku grimaced, feeling fire sweep his body from the strikes hitting him. Blood escaped between his gums from how he had to bite back shouts of pain. Eyes focused on the man before him, peering forward, keeping his gaze ahead of him without reserve.

"_What is that boy doing?_" Roshi tried to wonder, blinking wearily at the continued punches that Hit landed. While Gohan hadn't fallen yet, he was receiving injuries and was unable to perceive it. Even Roshi's first move was a happy accident, having supposed he would be hit in the one place that could've disabled him and leaned in a place that he couldn't touch it. "_This is a man that I'm sure not even Vegeta or Goku could defeat. He almost brought down Jiren. How is he going to win this?!_"

"It's time I end this," Hit muttered aloud, raising his arms up at bent angle opposite positions of each other. "Farewell."

Gohan's eyes widened, and in a split instant, visible warping spaces of kinetic impact were seen connection with Gohan's body. Two in the shoulders, one in the navel, another in the sternum, one in the forehead, another in the neck and two in the triceps. All of the attacks left seemingly simultaneous streaks of amethyst light shooting out from his body to the other side, streaking into the gaseous World of Void behind him.

"Forty two," Hit pronounced, lowering his hands to his sides and turning away to look over to Roshi as Gohan's eyes blanked with him swaying on his feet. The strength looked sapped, and blood oozed out of his nostrils and mouth. Trembling legs buckled beneath him, his knees hitting the ground with his body pointing upward with arms limply held down.

Pulling back an purple fist, he performed Time Skip once more, leaping through space with both fists raised and then punching towards the exposed jaw that was arched upwards.

Knuckles struck flesh, a connection was felt and a loud pop with a streak of amethyst signifying the jab was successful.

But Gohan didn't move.

Much to his perplexity, the digits that touched the man's chin became repulsed by an even stronger force in a flash of light that surged from the skin itself.

"Oh my," Whis commented, Goku's smile deepened with knitted brows while Beerus narrowed his glare while the Shinlings could only gawk.

"W-What did he do?" Shin questioned.

"How should I know?!" The Old Kaioshin retorted with furtive exasperation. "All I know is that boy didn't move an inch while Hit did all the moving."

"Well he did something," Shin pursed his lips, raising a hand to cup his chin while trying to ponder with a frown. "The question is, what?"

Whis smiled with a knowing look, earning a side glance from his Hakaishin pupil of annoyance.

Settling back up into a stance once more, Hit launched another Time Skip, this time aiming low with a triage of blows. This time, Hit saw the flash firsthand emit from the gi. It was fast and reacted in sync to his attack with enough force that it not only repelled his blows but struck his chest. From the outside they'd see him skid backwards a foot, with a confused look on his face.

Furrowing his hairless brow into a scowl, he bent his body forward and tipped it by the toes of his boots. A rush of air and he'd launch himself normally in a sweeping jump, rising up high into the air and performing Time Skip. From there he'd descend with both feet aiming to stomp on his raised face, aiming straight at his glaring black eyes.

Wait.

_Glaring_ eyes?

The soles of his boots impacted the face of Gohan, a sparkling reflection of glowing silver emitting from his pores to respond in instant reaction to his attack. The blow sent him reeling upwards, staggering him in the air while he was still in Time Skip...

...allowing the flow of light to guide the allegedly 'limp' arms to catch him by the ankles with a firm snatch.

In a twisting motion that was a blur to Roshi's eyes, Hit was sent slamming into the face of the pillar in a loud crash. An explosion of debris shattered the kachi katchin, a fierce wind of smoke cast over the area. Pushing a slab of it off of himself, the assassin dusted himself off and stared ahead with a cool stoic stare.

On the opposite side, now stood Gohan, his body releasing hints of a sparkling aura of silvery white that emitted from his skin. It wasn't on the level of a full-body halo like typical venting _ki_ nor was it a sign of fully forcing it in one's body. Instead, it looked like...

"I see," Beerus intoned with an appraising expression, smiling with a bit more interest than his uncertainty earlier. "He's letting his ki react before his body. What a smart kid you got there."

"It's not just brains," Goku remarked with a wry smile, speaking lowly with a turn of his face towards Beerus. "He's just better than me."

"B-Better?" Shin gaped with a questionable glance, one that Old Kaioshin also challenged with raised brows of indignation.

"I'm saying, his potential is much higher than me. It takes a bit of time to coax him, but, his battle sense is on a whole other level than me. He's provin' that against Cell, and even for a few moments against Buu," He leaned back, grinning toothily as he saw his firstborn standing despite the blows he received. "He told me that he's reachin' for a form different from mine. An ultimate form that doesn't rely on transformin' into Super Saiyan or anythin' like that."

"Hmph, he finally remembered how to use the power I helped awaken in him," The Elder Kaioshin harrumphed with crossed arms and a turn of his head. "After all, he shouldn't need to transform to use all of his power."

"He could be also be trying to find his own way," Whis proposed with a raised finger, smiling as everyone looked towards him with curiosity. "To obtain Ultra Instinct."

"Kek! As if he could do it," Beerus dismissed with a visibly repulsed expression, nervously scratching one arm with the other. "Goku's lucky that his own instincts kicked in on the verge of death. Had it been any other circumstance, he wouldn't have learned how to use it. What that brat is doing isn't Ultra Instinct-"

"My-My, don't tell me you're feeling threatened by him?"

"I AM NOT! DON'T PUT WORDS IN MY MOUTH WHIS OR I'LL ERASE YOU!"

"In front of Zen'ou?"

The Hakaishin stopped short, looking over to see the pair of Zen'ou blankly staring towards him from the distance of their seats and him. Sweating profusely, he forced out a too-innocent whistling tune while averting their gaze. When he felt the ominous feeling of dread wafting off them vanish, he sighed and issued a glare at the chuckling Whis.

Meanwhile, back on the ground, Roshi was bearing witness to something incredible.

Hit began to instantly appear in multiple spots before his sight, blown back repeatedly in difference spaces through pulses of heavenly white. Each time it happened he'd get a faint sight of light surging from a point of Gohan's body, reacting in kind to the origin of Hit's attack. The more he observed him, the more he understood what was happening.

"_You're layering your_ ki _around every part of your body in a small amount. I'm sure this fellow Hit's Time Skip creates a signature of_ ki _every time he uses it. You're turning your own person into a living sensor to an attack your_ ki _sense can't register ordinarily. You're focusing all of your effort in detecting and reacting faster than what your body normally acts,_" The Turtle Hermit realized with a dawning look behind his slanted shades.

Hit suddenly stopped his assault, setting his sights on the observer. A chill swept up his spine and Roshi suddenly felt incredibly at risk being in this spot.

An instant later, a streak of amethyst shot towards him, aiming straight for his chest-

-only for a glimmering hand to catch the bolt of light and send it flying back at the Universe 6 warrior.

The beam went straight through his chest, passing through the pillar and out the other side; narrowly missing a ducking Dyspo who yelped at the lethal streak of purple light.

"I'm starting to get the hand of your Time Skip," Gohan declared, his hand lowered with wafting steam coming off the glowing sparks that continued to dance off every part of his being. "But it seems, all I can do now is counter you."

"So this is a waste of time, is what you're saying?"

"Am I wrong?"

"I wonder," Hit closed his eyes, sighing aloud. Reopening them, he glanced in the distance, Gohan tracking his sight in a periphery shot at the Genki Dama crater. "I still have an...unsettled score to settle."

"Didn't I tell you?" The red orbs returned to look at the opposing man's onyx spheres glaring with a hint of silver crossing his sclera. "I came here to defeat you, Hit. I won't let you walk away to fight someone else until our battle's finished."

A hint of a smile formed on the violet-grey skinned millennium-old assassin. Shaking his head, he raised his arms up in angled motions, his gaze fixated intensely at Gohan.

Then, it became a streak of instantly appearing bodies of grey slamming bolts of violet against a repeatedly flaring silver aurora around Gohan. From Roshi's own gaze he'd begin to see the young man swiftly pick up speed, eyes that stared ahead beginning to move along with the flow of his own energy and physically react to the blows flurrying against him. The attacks that began to exchange was a hail of quaking fists and arms, legs bracing against each other while the two began to dance around in the air and pursue one another in a series of Afterimages.

Roshi could tell the young man's battle had just begun.

Meanwhile, he could sense the faint outline of a figure lurking within collapsed piles of debris. Narrowing his eyes, he'd creep off and leap around till he found it; the source of space in the ring.

"Please come out," The Turtle Hermit began to ask with a smile, raising his finger...

...and then zapping it with a beam that shattered the barrier like glass.

"Oho! You've found me!" Doctor Rota squealed out with a devilish grin on his snout protruding face. Raising his hands up, he began to glow an ominous air that swirled around with a mystical quality. As the God of Martial Arts settled into a stance, clawed appendages of energy formed behind Rota as he pointed challengingly at him. "I see that thirst for battle in your energy. This is good! I'll be taking that power of yours; and show you why I'm called _Doctor_ Rota!"

* * *

"It seems everyone's having their fun," Cell intoned with a smile, standing upright with arms crossed with a sigh. "I had hoped Hit would stay put until Jiren crawled out of that hole he puts himself in. But I suppose I can't convince him otherwise; at least it'll give me a good chance to see if Gohan's power is as substantial as I felt it at this tournament's beginning. The two Nameccians, on the other hand looked like they fused with an entire planet's worth as a gamble; enough that godly power I can't sense is being used by Vegeta. My brother and sister are supporting Piccolo against that mustached fat man, leaving the only two I haven't fought as that rabbit eared freak and Jiren."

Having vocally summarized it aloud for himself, he pursed his lips with contemplation.

"I could try to finish off that man they call Dyspo, to keep him from proving to be a nuisance. But I don't want to waste an ounce of _ki_ on him," He debated aloud with furrowed brows. Looking down at his waist, he asked with a sardonically cruel tone. "What do you think my dear? Should I battle him now, or should I hold off until I can figure out how to obtain the energy of the gods?"

As he mulled this out, he'd suddenly feel the world shift with an incoming object. Peeling through space and bending the spectrum of color, Cell's senses felt congealed with the flow of a certain entity heading straight for him. In a turn of green with an outstretched white palm, the Bio-Android narrowly caught a clenched glove that produced arcs of lightning from the knuckles that connected with them.

"Speak of the Devil," The emerald terror chuckled, his scarlet eyes looking on at a frustrated hare who gnashed his teeth at him. "Come to throw your life away?"

"Villain," He sneered, narrowing his eyes. "I'll make you pay for staining our pride!"

"Ah, Universe 11," The Bio-Android slowed his laugh, raising a pale fist a cruel gleam echoing from his scarlet eyes. "_If such a pride could be stained so easily, what worth did it have in the first place?_"

Throwing his fist, the Perfect Being saw his arm pass through a static image. What followed that was a multitude of similar effigies of Dyspo, all sporadically blitzing around at various angles, each one poising a dramatic posture and stance to differ from each other. Even his own hearing felt as if he was being surrounded by dozens of the trooper's person rather than a single entity.

"Very nice use of the Afterimage technique," Cell complimented, his eyes leering side to side with a smirk adorned on his face. "What do you plan to do? Dance around me the whole time?"

A drilling sensation struck the Android from behind, following a flash of virulent amethyst light that echoed in a fantastic explosion. Dyspo's true form withdrew a smoking gloved palm, grinning smugly at landing his Cannon Maximum.

Problem was, the wafting flames revealed not a scratch on the artificial being's backside, despite lurching forward from the force of the blast.

"I-It had no effect?!" Dyspo gaped with bulging eyes.

"Your speed is impressive," The Bio-Android intoned, looking over one shoulder to cast a dangerous gleam of scarlet from his left eye. "But that's the only thing notable about you."

"Tch! We'll see about that!" He exclaimed, dropping into a squat and vanishing within a streak of momentum. His body darted to and fro, becoming a blur that left a slew of transparent copies in his wake once again, disguising his movement. The Pride Trooper knew better than to assault this being head-on, as his reflexes, reaction timing and power would close the gap long before he'd land a successful blow.

Zigzagging streaks painted the ground with a significant tears into the ground below, showing just how fierce his momentum was. The air electrified and ribbons of violet danced around the floor to indicate the hyper friction being enacted.

"CANNON...MAXIMUM...BARRAGE!" Dyspo voiced aloud, unleashing a slew of drilling spheres of exploding energy towards Cell's person from all sides. He'd watch the emerald terror swing his arms like whips, slapping them around to explode distantly in a ring of exploding purple fire surrounding his flanks. His eyes didn't even look at the angle of his attacks, seemingly relying purely on _ki_ sense.

Which was fine to the Pride Trooper.

Blitzing straight into Cell's guard, he'd throw up a pair of blue rings while his arms were moving to deflect them. Unlike the rotating spheres, these things latched onto his wrists and held them in place.

"Hm?" The artificial warrior raised a brow with curiosity at the sight.

"Can't deflect or dodge this one," The speedster jeered, leaping back in a corkscrew spin that ended with him splitting his arms in opposing directions in a flamboyant fashion. "**Circle Flash**, _FINISH!_"

At his call, the rings expanded and intersected with one another. A violent azure blast consumed the outline of the bio-engineered creation of Gero, releasing a potent blast that cracked the uneven flooring beneath his feet and released a potent shockwave of blistering wind.

"HAHA!" Dyspo crowed out, turning to stand triumphantly with his hands on his hips. "I must have hit ya pretty good for your energy to tank that much! Is this all you have to offer, Universe 7 Cell?!"

A slow clap was heard behind the smoke, bringing out a chill down the Pride Trooper's spine. The outline of his emerald carapace being completely untouched by the heat of the bomb that went off made his eyes dilate and his mouth agape. A dark smile was on his face, with eyes glaring at an angle towards the hare, soaking in the look on his opponent's face.

"All excellent maneuvers," He applauded with a laugh. "I commend your quick-footed effort, and being able to occupy me enough to land a surprise technique I couldn't escape from. However, there is one factor you neglected to take into account."

Slowly, the Bio-Android spread his arms to either side, taking a step forward and a slight front lean. Maintaining his smile, his aura released in a shrill whine, now coated with a lime-tint to the outer-flames of his otherwise golden aura. The light released into a wrathful thrum, throbbing against his frame while casting a sickly green tint to the environment and bringing the Pride Trooper's knees to buckle at the sheer scope of it.

"In this Tournament of Power, not only is this a battle of skill and wit, but a strength of _ki_. Through simply raising my energy, I can counter any move of yours through sheer might of my own power level. Or, did you forget that I've evolved tremendously since this tournament started?"

Slowly, his gloved hands gripped at his sides and the Pride Trooper's eyes slanted into a defiant glare. Baring his teeth, a shadow overlapped his gaze as he poised himself into a crouched posture with arms raised in readiness. A small flame of amethyst rose up from his costume to coil in a passive hum, giving him a contrasting shade to the magnificent lemon-lime torch standing apart from him.

"**Super Maximum,**" He began to intone with a flurry of arm gestures, his knees bending more and his body almost tipping over at the severe standing angle he was placing on the tips of his boots. "**Light Speed Mode!**"

A shriek of violet light followed the fighter known as Dyspo passing through the layers of color that lied in the spectrum of visibility. Erasing from the sight of many spectators and even most combatants, he peeled through the realm of the mortal eye and entered a state of near transparency.

In this world of motion, none may interact save for someone as gifted as him. Like the space that exists between the material world and the place that users of teleportation enact or even Hit's own pocket dimension he forms from skipped time, this was a place that only Dyspo could reach.

So when he threw a punch at Cell, it was to his shock that scarlet eyes turned to stare directly at him. A pale hand surged out, also disappearing from the visible world as all could perceive it save for Dyspo. Stretching out elastically, it'd catch the speedster's face faster than he could land his own blow against the Bio-Android. Bones broke, teeth shattered and his eyes ejected blood as his own momentum was thrown directly into his skull alongside the force of the Perfect Being's fist.

In a flash, Dyspo's eyes rolled back and darkness took his consciousness while his body was flung faster than any could see into the World of Void.

"W-What-" Belmod began to inquire with barely blinking eyes, suddenly hearing a plop of an unconscious and brutalized Dyspo lying alongside the other sitting injured members of the Pride Troopers. "D-Dyspo! How did he-?"

"I couldn't see it," Kai confessed, his eyes narrowing at Cell's outstretched fist, hissing with a haze of super-friction-borne heat. "Cell's power has surpassed even Dyspo's own max speed. He's a true monster at this point."

"Tch!" The clown Hakaishin hissed, hearing the Grand Priest announce Dyspo's ring-out by Cell's hand. Casting a stare at the pit, he brought a smile of his own accord across his face, calming down as he reminded himself with whom still remained in the arena.

"_So long as Jiren is in, there's no way we can lose!_"

Meanwhile, Universe 6 had its own reeling at what happened to the third strongest member of the Pride Troopers disposed of so candidly. While Frost was still unconscious, Magetta whimpering and Botamo watching agape, Champa was biting his lip with anger and jealousy. Cell possessed energy so virulent and incredible only thanks to the scheme the fat Hakaishin concocted when he was planning out his team. Now he was arguably the strongest being standing on the arena sans Jiren himself.

"This isn't right," Cabba voiced aloud, his face pale and his eyes distantly staring in Cell's direction from his own stone railing position. "Caulifla and Kale's power being used as a means to an end like this? I pulled them into this tournament, and look where I brought them?"

"Which leaving them to be erased without ever fighting is the proper choice?"

His face blanched and he turned to look at Vados. The Angel had a small smile but she looked sympathetically at the young Saiyan like she hadn't displayed at any other time. Maintaining her gaze, she waved her hand around with emphasis as she explained.

"Consider this, Cabba. Had you not given them the knowledge of Super Saiyan, they would've been knocked out of the ring far quicker and perhaps wouldn't have had a chance to improve so rapidly. Even more, have they not been so incredible, they wouldn't have stood a chance against Cell to begin with. They had come close, and the merit of their efforts is that they were useful enough that the Android sought to use them. Even if it wasn't by intention, Universe 6 will be spared so long as this Kefla remains inside of him."

"So...there's a chance they could break free?"

"Perhaps," Vados closed her eyes and let out a mirthful chuckle. "Or perhaps there's no escape for Universe 6's imminent erasure. However, at least take comfort in knowing that their fate is not of your own making."

"Thanks, Lady Vados," The young Saiyan bowed his head respectfully to her. "I'm...sorry for losing hope so quickly."

"We still have respectful fighters in the ring. It's too soon to give up just yet."

"Yeah, that's right!" Champa pounded a fist into an open palm. "Hit's still in! He's the only guy who could probably knock that Cell around! If he could fight Jiren, he'll take apart this Goham or whatever in no time flat. And those two Nameccians are wicked strong to take on that Vegeta guy!"

"Though Vegeta has yet to reveal Super Saiyan Blue, and Son Gohan is showing a remarkable growth against Sir Hit."

"Weren't you just encouraging Cabba a second ago?!"

"I'm just tempering your expectations, Lord Champa," Vados winked much to the Hakaishin's chagrin.

On Universe 7's side, the battling Gohan was all too focused on contending with Hit to fully experience the level of power Cell had achieved. Vegeta himself showed signs of an angered grimace, knowing full well the Bio-Android had possible reached a higher plateau of strength thanks to him stealing the Universe 6 Saiyans' power. Piccolo had to compose himself in the midst of trading blows with Toppo, 17 remaining visibly unaffected and 18 gritting her teeth in gnashing anger at the villain's audacity of doing the same thing to someone else.

"To think he could get so powerful by simply swallowing them," The Old Kaioshin remarked with a somber shake of his head. "What a strange creature, that Cell is."

"Strange? That's horrifying!" Shin exclaimed with visible disgust on his face, gesturing with emphasis of his outrage. "He took a living being and is robbing them of their living energy in a slow, torturous process! I can feel their consciousness still fighting, intact within his cluster of energy inside of him. It's nothing but bitterness and stewing hatred; and he's just as black as Babidi in spirit about what he's done!"

"As long he doesn't kill, it's not against the rules," Whis informed him, turning his head at the white-haired Shinling with a raised brow. "Is now really the best time to rebuke someone that's keeping our Universe from being erased?"

"That's not the point and you know it, Lord Whis!"

"Shut up," Beerus snarled quietly, bringing the Kaioshin to shiver as his counterpart side glanced at him with a threatening expression. "You're embarrassing yourself as both a god and a creator. Don't you think the lives of two people are worth exchanging for the rest of the Universe you claim to be in charge of safeguarding?"

"B-But I..."

He faltered, lowering his hands and his head at once.

"In any other circumstance, I wouldn't say a word," Beerus turned his gaze away from him, his eyes poised back at the battles still being unleashed before his sight. "But Cell made a point. This is not about justice or evil. We're out here to survive and we'll have to do so by whatever nasty means to achieve it. Isn't that more important to the trillions of beings still existing in our Universe?"

"You're right," Shin sat down slowly, his hands placed on his knees, squeezing them tight as his eyes shut tight. "But seeing him...I can't help but be reminded of the horrors of Majin Buu that Bibidi and Babidi unleashed upon our Universe. If he lives to survive this, what will stop him from repeating history?"

"Well, we will," Goku piped up, causing the Shinling to open his eyes and look up with surprise at the Turtle Schooler. Smiling confidently, he thumbed at his chin with a self assured chuckle. "I'm nowhere near done getting stronger. The fact that Cell can get this strong by short-cutting means that I still have a lot more ways to go. Not to mention, I'm not even the only one; just look at how strong the others are even without me being there!"

The Kaioshin looked on, watching with renewed amazement at the strength of the people Goku placed so much faith in.

Gohan's body was a zigzagging streak of flashing silver, his eyes locking onto Hit's red orbs as they exchanged blows at a staggering speed that only served to increase in ferocity and impact in swift repetition. Just as soon as one looked to be getting the upper hand over the other, the other would reveal a maneuver they had kept in reserve or a spontaneously revealed technique. The son of Goku didn't falter, his fighting spirit pushing him forward regardless of the strength of his opponent.

Vegeta's Super Saiyan God aura flared out like a majestic flame, his body matching the united strength of both Nameccians without holding back. Resonating shockwaves blasted with every hit connected, his kikoha flaring out one and then kicking the other away. Forward flipping around he'd spin kick at their heads, separating them long enough to dash in and land devastating blows, ducking and weaving by the other that came to attack him from behind. Despite their teamwork, the godly Saiyan showed that he was far from being outmatched in this situation.

Piccolo was using his own race's Nameccian physiology to his advantage in keeping a step ahead of Toppo. The experienced Pride Trooper swung his arms with surprising agility and his rotund body moved with stunning grace, but the Daimao was easily a midge quicker. Stretching his arms out and partially expanding them to land devastating blows to his muscle reinforced frame, it'd give the twin cyborgs time enough to use combination attacks and continue harrying him with continuous blows. The three, despite different in strength, worked terrific in tandem with one another and continued to be at odds against the second strongest being of Universe 11.

"_Even without Goku, they're all so strong to hold their own against such stunning people,_" Shin thought with a smile, turning to look for Roshi.

To his surprise, the older man was slamming kachi katchin stones at the magical erected arms of Doctor Rota, the Mohawk adorned bespectacled boar-man swinging his energy constructs around like whips. The adept God of Martial Arts continued to save what energy he had by using the loose pieces of debris as ammunition, intending on wearing down the non-combatant of Universe 6 and keeping him from healing the other three fighters battling Universe 7.

Then, an immense pressure rose up from the crater that Goku's Genki Dama had formed.

"Jiren," Goku mumbled out, his gaze immediately affixed in its direction along with the others on the stand. Even Kibito, who was busy recuperating the unconscious pair of Tenshinhan and Kuririn, looked on with a steady gaze.

The grey skinned warrior, injured but close to being worn down, strode slowly up the angled side of the kachi katchin pit. His energy brimmed with an intense fiery light, an aurora of blinding glare akin to a dying Sun. When he reached the top, he'd see Cell, his arms crossed and his body faced in his direction with a smirk armed on his face. He was nothing but stoic, caging his emotions inside and reinforcing his composure to the place it was before his near defeat by Universe 6.

"Oh?" Cell inquired coyly with a raised brow. "I'm surprised you're making a move now of all times. I thought you'd at least wait until that mustached blubber of a companion of yours was rung out before engaging me."

"Plans changed," Jiren graveled out, his black eyes glaring with a notable slant. "Absorbing that Saiyan has made you a threat; one I aim to eliminate, just as I've done of Anilaza and Son Goku."

"Finally, some due recognition," The Perfect Being smarmed with a roll of his eyes, uncrossing his arms and clenching his hands at his sides into tense fists. "I'm still getting used to this level of power. So please excuse me if I don't jump immediately into my strongest form."

"It won't change your fate," The grey skinned warrior growled out, pulling back a burned hand into a curled palm while keeping a gloved hand in a defensive raise in a readied stance. "I'll knock you out of this ring either way, Cell."

In a single motion, he had made plans to make good his words.

A streak of crimson carved through space, slicing through the air and grinding through the kachi katchin like it was simple earth. The punch's energy flew straight into the Bio-Android's chest, and out the other side in a piercing thrust; only for that figure to fizzle out like static.

"Where do you think you're looking?" Cell asked, now arms crossed behind Jiren with a smirk adorned on his face. "You can't hit me with such a linear attack. At least take things a little seriously-"

"HM!" Jiren grunted out, his gloved hand encompassed with a halo of crimson-white light that swung in a cleaving arc. It was enough to force the Android to lean backwards till his flat to the ground, a wide-eyed look of surprise at just how much space he covered in a single move. Pushing off of the floor, he'd barely miss a barrage of thrusting tears of red, each one poking a deep hole in the arena ground. Somersaulting onto his feet, he'd ignite his lime-coated golden aura and swing his hand around to deflect the last punch sent his way, sending it streaking into the side of the central pillar with a loud gong.

Pulling back his hand, he'd feel the tremblings of pain etch on this otherwise pale flesh but no significant damage. Grinning despite himself, a sliver of sweat crossed his face as he stared down the ultimate Pride Trooper.

"Even now, at this level, your power is certainly great," He complimented, raising his arms up and further flaring out his multiplied power thanks to Kefla. "But mine is now even greater!"

Jiren didn't say anything back, merely standing statuesque and unaffected by his proclamation. His aura bristled a bit further out, increasing in a virulent rotation as flames of red lapped around the air and crushed the dense mineral beneath his boots. Exhaling vapor out, he'd pull his arms up, coiling energy around the shape of his arms-

-then throwing out dozens of imprints of his own fists towards Cell.

Their battle was just beginning!

* * *

**A/N**: And this is where we'll stop for now! Boy we covered a lot of ground. Vegeta taking on both Nameccians simultaneously, pushing him to release his Super Saiyan God power in respect of their combined strength. Gohan surpassing his own limits and achieving a new technique to allow his _ki_ to react before his body could. Piccolo, 17 and 18 still fighting Toppo, while Cell finishes off Dyspo with his newly acquired power and Jiren stepping up to begin battling the Kefla-empowered Perfect Being.

The final stretch is coming within sight, I can feel it!


	14. A Perfect Godsend

Toppo was beside himself.

He was a mighty Pride Trooper who had served faithfully for his cause for many years. He had trained diligently, protected the innocent from evildoers and challenged the mightiest beings in the cosmos. The decades old trooper had a conviction that he was the sole purveyor of justice and that his iron headed resolve won him conflicts time and again. Even when it seemed hopeless, he charged headlong into the battle without a regard for his own well being.

Heaving heavily with labored breaths, his slitted pupils contracted inwards, homing in on the rough colorful shapes that opposed him.

"It looks like you're finally feeling the burn," Cyborg Seventeen proclaimed, a wry smirk adorned across his face as his blue eyes stared back at his golden irises. "I was beginning to wonder if there was any ceiling your power was going to hit."

"Yeah," Android 18 intoned with a more placid expression, her pink tracksuit showing signs of wear and tear from the intense battle she's been having with the looming Pride Trooper. "We might actually be able to bring him down."

"Stay on your toes," Piccolo warned, his clawed hands up and his overall physique still in impeccable shape thanks to bursts of his species' healing factor. With how much energy he possessed, such repairs were a trifle to his overall horde of power. Not to mention he's been conserving power throughout the entire tournament and thanks to Cell -in a twisted way- he's been able to keep the lion share of it for a battle such as this. "This is their runner-up to Jiren. We can't afford to let our guard down in an instant!"

"Guards raised or lowered," Toppo lurched back, his arms spinning around like helicopter blades; before he'd leap forward with both slamming his fists around in a violent rotation towards the three. "JUSTICE WILL PREVAIL!"

Separating them by the sheer force of his over the shoulder spinning blows, explosions of dust rose up in clouds, blown away in a line of sheer destructive torrent hunting them down. The cyborg twins leaped to and fro in sync, leaving Piccolo to somersault, and back flip away with supreme agility. In mid-leap, Toppo unleashed both hands and fired with a mighty shout, "JUUUUUUSSTIIIIIIICE FLAAAASHHHH!"

17 thrust a palm out in time with 18, the pair vaulting back to the earth to avoid the skyline erupting in a hail of coral lit shots. Piccolo unlike them, pulled back both palms and then threw out a massive wall of invisible energy, the kiai delaying the first line of bullets. This consequently caused them all to detonate halfway between the shooter and himself, creating blinding concussive blasts between the pair.

Before the Nameccian even touched the ground, the blonde twin grabbed hold of her brother's gloved palm and spun him around several times until she threw him like a javelin through the rolling flames. Encompassed by a ghostly viridescent barrier, the conical oval of light slipped through the flames straight the flinching Toppo, slamming into his chest with prejudice.

"Ungh?!" He spewed out bile and ichor, his mustache flapping wildly enough for his broad mouth to be seen. Eyes dilated with shock as he felt his whole body carried across arena's vast space.

"Yeah! That's it!" Beerus raised a hand up, smiling toothily with Shin and Goku standing up at once to observe this feat. "Knock him out of the ring!"

"Go! You can do it!" The Kaioshin cried out with hands cupped around his mouth.

"Keep at it, Seventeen!" Goku cheered with a raised fist.

Gritting his teeth, the Pride Trooper's face construed into a scowl and his teeth bared. Slamming his heels into the ground, slabs of kachi katchin kicked up around him, his momentum slowing considerable with a hail of sparks and smoke billowing around him. Raising his gloved hands, he'd slam them into the thrusting barrier, watching it warp under the pressure of his powerful grip but not break.

A pyre of azure light shot into the back of the raven haired cyborg's barrier covered feet, pushing him harder against Toppo.

"HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" The blonde woman howled with concentrated force, pouring all of the power she could bear to push her brother and the enemy off the ring.

Piccolo's feet had yet to hit the ground, his eyes wide and looking at the wordless plan enacted in bare instants in the opening that he granted them seconds earlier. He was amazed by their tenacity, and their commitment to giving it their all, even if it cost them their own participation and well-being. It was a far cry from what the two were like when he first met them; and he could only smile in awe at their combined resolve.

Loud cracks hit his ears before the bubble of light caved in and powerful palms slammed into either side of the android. His body flinched and his velocity stopped along with eighteen's beam that was propelling him. From their sight they could see the black haired cyborg become caged by both palms that locked fingers around his lithe shaped person.

They were but a meter away from the edge, with a wafting line of destruction that dug deep into their side of the arena, smoke and flames ebbing from the hyper-friction that caused the large bulbous creature to fly so far in so little time.

"A pathetic last effort by those without the strength to win under their own power," Toppo sneered, watching the cyborg ground together with unpleasant sounds coming from his palms squishing his park ranger dressed body. "I shall dispose of you first, in the name of my own Uni-URSE!"

A swinging pair of black boots snapped into his gut, bringing him to slack his grip and lurch forward. His gaping vision would see the cyborg split apart his palms with a swelling new barrier from his own body as the epicenter, pushing the palms back and smacking him in the fact. Swirling around with adept control, the Android leaned back and slammed the lime-sphere around his fist straight into Toppo's face with a cracking impact.

"Ngh!" Toppo grimaced, feeling his nose break and his eyes instantly tear up from the backlash of pain as his whole body staggered back a couple of feet. Feeling the dead air behind him, his arms swung around rapidly to regain balance, his disproportionately smaller feet heels adjacent to the edge.

"Now fall," The Cyborg intoned with a soft whisper, slamming a palm into the kachi katchin flooring in front of him, unleashing an explosive column of light that shattered the ultra dense mineral.

He fell. The world drew to a slow crawl as his eyes drifted from the now emotionless mask of the artificially transformed human to the pair of his companions standing in the background. He'd cast a tilt of his head towards the other flank of the arena, seeing Jiren battling Cell. The pair were exchanging blows until the grey skinned warrior locked gaze, and the whole World of Void suddenly became quiet.

Toppo had never felt kinship so strong as the one he had formed until he met Jiren. He had been a proud man, even when he strove to achieve justice for those who couldn't help themselves. The firm belief of justice being mightier than villainy had propelled him through many obstacles; that is, until he met a man whom had seemingly annihilated an entire planet's popular. The grey titan, or the all-seeing warrior, his names were many but all knew him simply as Jiren and when he sought to correct him, he was soundly defeated. He didn't even come closer.

He had thought his life was over until Jiren stayed by his side to ensure he would recover. When he finally asked if he was the one who killed them, Jiren answered they had taken their own lives when he confronted him, being an entire world of murderers that had been responsible for numerous tragedies in the system he tracked them down from. They were so terrified that they had taken the easy way out, fearing he'd torture them until they begged; his energy had felt that fearsome.

Yet, when made amends, and brought him into the fold of the Pride Troopers, Jiren was nothing but a solid force of good in a Universe otherwise run by evil and heroism. He had even remembered when he was offered the position of Hakaishin to one day succeed him, he had thought to recommend him instead, only for the man to confess that it isn't something he desires. Destruction wasn't what he sought beyond strength; he was looking for something else. He respected him, and Jiren, a man of few words, conveyed his heart to him without question and was on equal footing when it came to respect despite being the leader of the Pride Troopers.

Looking into his eyes now, Jiren was nothing but a icy shell that refused to allow him to know what he felt. But the things he's done on Belmod's behest had stained his heart. Dyspo didn't understand, and he didn't quite fathom it himself but when he saved Jiren the Grey, he had lost himself in the process.

What was Toppo the Pride Trooper without his friendship or his pride? What was he without justice?

"Hm?" The cyborg opened his eyes with surprise, watching the sinking body of Toppo swing his behemoth arms around like grappling hooks to latch onto the sides of the arena that hadn't collapsed. "You're a tenacious guy, I'll give you that."

Raising his right foot, he slammed it on the middle set of knuckles with his foot with a vicious stomp. It'd bring out a painful crack that caused the mustached man to growl in strain. The additional force of his hand along with the cyborg's foot caused the mineral to crack under his own considerable weight. Looking to his free hand, he'd watch seventeen point a palm and begin pelting it with kikoha, shattering the material around it while also wearing down the glove's material around his brown colored knuckles.

His eyes clenched shut, his lips pursing beneath white facial hair, his head lowering with resignation as the inevitable was about to occur. The kachi katchin was about to give way, and the pain was beginning to push him further from concentrating on holding himself aloft.

"_Isn't it time, Toppo?_"

The top-heavy being opened his eyes as he heard the telepathic call echo within his mind. The world had grown a bleak and dim place, bringing forth the image of his lord and former superior in the Pride Troopers, Belmod. He was sitting along the tip of the arena within his mind, his smile stretching mockingly while eyes glinted towards him. His hands were shuffling a deck of cards between his palms, cutting them and splitting them in a number of directions in the air.

"_I told you, didn't I? If you're to become my successor, truly inherit my seat as God of Destruction, you have to let go your ties to these petty principles of morality. In the end, we Hakaishin are balancers to the cosmos. Having a heart will either make you weak, or betray you when you need power the most. After all, I bequeathed you my title, didn't I?_"

Toppo would see cards that resembled members of the troopers along the deck of cards. Kaserol's face along the King of Clubs, the other members taking up various face cards with their imprints splayed over it. Jiren, comically, possessed a jester hat and outfit befitting of his role as the joker. But above them all, he was the Ace of Spades, with the insignia of Belmod's seal burning within its epicenter; an amethyst flame that began to bristle around his battered hands and glow within Toppo's eyes.

"_Let go of justice, Toppo."_

He threw the cards, the faces of the Pride Troopers falling into the abyss around him and passing him by. He didn't cast a glance at any of them, as his glare was formed straight ahead past seventeen and past the world that he was battling in. He wouldn't see it, but Belmod was grinning ear to ear as time resumed normalcy before his gaze.

"_Become Destruction!_"

Seventeen was just about ready to simply blast at Toppo's face when he felt an unnerving chill sweep up his spine. A howling gale of force was launched upward, a purplish wave of flames unraveling from the body of the Pride Trooper and casting a seething heat that caused the cyborg to leap back in full retreat.

"W-What's happening?" Eighteen questioned with wide-eyed blinks at her brother.

"He's transforming!" He cried out with frustration, his hands balled up at his sides as he skidded to a halt beside his sibling. The two were soon joined by Piccolo to their right, the Nameccian looking on with a deep fathoming of what was occurring. Looking over at the former God of Earth, the raven haired twin asked with a jarring shout. "What is it?! What are you sensing?!"

"His energy," Piccolo gnashed his teeth, glaring ahead with hands balling up at his sides, his body visibly shaking in recognition. "It's changing."

"Into _what_?"

His answer would be received in the form of a shattering of the stage and an emergence of a new being that resembled Toppo they had known before but was far different than they expected. He was now a taller build of leaner mass, his upper body thinning to a degree that it was evenly distributed to his now toned legs that had increased his height and balanced his enormous bulk. Gone were the gloves and spandex top of his Pride Troopers; now he was a deep hickory in shade, his golden eyes now a glowing purple and his staunch rippling chest possessed a pair of spades branded in between and below his pectorals with a smaller pair of diamonds on either side beneath his upper chest in a brightly shining rosy-purple. His aura was a burning violet, resembling the Godly ki of Belmod and Beerus in that regard, as it bristled with barely restrained anger within.

"I shall dispose of you now, Universe 7," Toppo declared with a cool whisper, his hands gripping tightly to crack his bruised and burned knuckles from Seventeen's beatings from before. "And secure my Universe's survival as Universe 11's newest God of Destruction."

* * *

"Shit!" Vegeta swore aloud, his eyes looking away with the pair of Nameccians towards the new development. Toppo had unleashed a massive amount of energy and was now a mortal no longer. He was now using Godly _ki_, and a staggering amount at that.

He wasn't the only one to notice the terrifying change.

Beerus, sitting on the bench, could feel in tantalizing detail just how much power Toppo obtained. While he wasn't as strong as himself, his already considerable energy for a mortal was now eclipsed by this new form. Possessing a bodily transformation to hold it in place, along with the seal of the current Hakaishin, it is likely not as fleeting as the initial Super Saiyan God ritual's power but a bona fide change that marked the Pride Trooper permanently.

"His energy...it's...so huge!" Shin cried out with hands clenching his head with terror etched into his eyes. "Piccolo and the twin cyborgs are doomed!"

"Holy shit he's strong!" Old Kaioshin shrieked with bulging eyes. "Are we sure he wasn't faking being a mortal up until this point?"

"Can there even be two Gods of Destruction occupying the same Universe at one time?" Kibito inquired, still busying himself healing Tenshinhan and Kuririn.

"Impossible," Whis corrected, making the Shinlings look over past the sweating Beerus at the taller more aloof Angel. Raising a finger, he explained in a factually dispassionate manner. "Gods of Destruction are anointed people chosen either by the Hakaishin himself, or designated by Zen'ou. Once one of those cases happens, and the shift becomes official, the Life Link is switched from the current Hakaishin over to the new one and they become tethered to the present Kaioshin at the time."

"Really?" Goku blinked with a dumbfounded expression on his face. "Wait, but, what if the Kaioshin is sealed like the old guy over there."

"I have a name-!"

"No one cares!" Beerus snapped with a leering stare that shut up the older Shinling.

"In that case," Whis clarified with smile. "The next most prospective Shinling being trained to be Kaioshin inherits the job by default, or a new golden fruit ripens. It's a pretty automatic thing, to make sure neither one meets an untimely end by accident."

"Hmph!" The feline destroyer grunted with crossed arms and glare aimed at Shin and his ancestor. "Just be thankful you didn't kick the bucket like your colleagues did, otherwise I really would've died."

"That being said," The Angel noted with a gesture back to the arena. "Just because he's become a God of Destruction, doesn't take away the fact he's still new to the job. He is likely not as refined in his skills as his superior, and it will take quite a bit of time for him to adapt to his new power."

"So...they have a chance?"

Whis quieted at that, simply staring ahead with a mysterious expression crossing his visage. Everyone became disquieted at the emergence of a destroyer on the battlefield. It was bad enough when enemies were as unworldly strong as Jiren, but to have someone become born again as a god? It seemed like the entire tournament was working against them and in favor of their opponents!

Goku bit his lip, his hands tightening at the stone rail ahead of him as he looked on anxiously. He could see his son was still battling Hit, baiting him into keep watching their dead even battle that continued to escalate before his eyes. Dozens of mirror images of the assassin was seen, while repeated flashes concussed from Gohan's form and his body soon followed after the fact in retaliation.

Roshi was on the other side of the ring, still battling the Universe 6 mystic Dr. Rota. Cell was battling Jiren, and even though he was nearby, didn't have even a second to spare a glance at Toppo to spawn mini-hims or lend a hand of his own. And Vegeta himself had resumed fighting the Nameccians, who were clear in keeping him away to save his teammates.

Until a fight had concluded, the cyborgs and Piccolo were on their own.

Raising his right hand upward, the newly minted destroyer cast a black centered amethyst orb up into the air. From there it'd split apart into a multitude of tiny specks, twinkling menacingly in the air as they floated slowly above his palm.

In a single finger snap, they streaked swiftly towards the trio. Moving with incredible pace, they'd slice at their arms, legs and sides, their bodies barely avoiding any direct penetrations as cuts had been formed in an instant of the attack being launched.

A blink of the eye later, and the hulk of godly powered muscle appeared over Eighteen's head with a fist aimed to slam into her skull. Seventeen pushed her out of the way with a rough shove, erecting a barrier in a split second before the ground collapsed beneath him-

-shattering through the whole stage out of the bottom.

"I-In a single blow," Piccolo marveled aloud, watching the stage shatter from one end to the other, splitting apart and floating independently from each other with a broad ten meter gap from each other. He stood on the smaller floating slab, while Eighteen was on the other, unfortunately looking alone with the burly titan of godly power.

"You're next," Toppo declared gutturally, twisting around to swing his arm to wrecking ball her by the left. Leaping up deftly to avoid it, she'd forward flip up and over his head, vaulting past him. Landing on the other side she'd throw a hail of kikoha, watching them explode against his person but do little other than annoy him.

"What the Hell am I supposed to do against that?" She cried rhetorically aloud.

"Nothing," He answered, swinging a fist to carve a swathe through the floor as she'd leap away. This time his free hand caught her by the ankles, pulling her in to be smashed by his still larger fist. "But be erased!"

In a last resort of resistance, the blonde haired woman formed a disc of light from one palm and threw it towards the impending fist. Even while punching it, the Hakaishin would grimace and pull his hand back, a split knuckle revealing itself from the razor windmilling past into the air away from him. Bleeding had brought surprise and renewed vigor within the cyborg's step, causing her to shout over to Piccolo who had seen it with his own eyes.

"We can hurt him! He can be beaten!"

"It changes nothing!" Toppo bellowed out loud, swinging his arms around to clap her on either side. The android slipped past his grip by nary an inch, the force of his palms released a titanic wave of pressure, tearing off the surface of the arena like wallpaper and producing a hurricane of wind straight up into the stands. Dancing away from him while forming more kienzan, she'd launch them in repetition, forcing the rookie Hakaishin to avoid and throw kikoha to shatter them at precise angles to avoid being cut exactly.

In doing so, he had left his back unguarded and he felt a stinging blow strike the middle of his spine. Twisting around, he'd see the raven haired cyborg land deftly behind him, with a bloodied lower lip and a pair of torn sleeves of his shirt with shreds over his blue jeans. Staring defiantly, he spat a wad of ichor to the side, and crack his worn gloved knuckled to exemplify how little he cared about the previous attack.

"Looks like your god power isn't so omnipotent as I thought," Seventeen commented with a stony glare poised at the God of Destruction. "It seems we lowly mortals have techniques that get past that."

"As I said," Toppo snarled, raising his large fists and unleashing a devastating arc of Godly _ki_ towards them. "It changes nothing!"

Deftly ducking the shearing light that swathed over the air, the twins began to move in tandem with each other once again. Even though there was a gap of power between them, Eighteen knew how to move with her brother, and by extension Seventeen knew how to take advantage of his sister's level of ability. The violet-glowing Hakaishin began to unleash a hail of strikes and kikoha, where the raven haired cyborg provided hastily summoned barriers to shatter but absorb the brunt of the strikes while Eighteen countered with her own tosses of Kienzans.

All of this helped helped to give Piccolo time as he primed a pair of fingers towards his forehead and clenched a palm near his side. He poured all of the energy he had into two points, one to crackle up and expand voluminously, while the other fed in a visible halo of sparking light. It pained him to have to watch from the sidelines as the others fought, but this was his method of obtaining victory.

However, his energy charging didn't go unnoticed.

Toppo's periphery glance caught sight while avoiding the latest triage of kienzan that Eighteen hurtled at him. Whipping his a palm at him, a thumb curled over perfectly erect fingers, he let out a bellowing call.

"HAKAI!"

In the split second of him uttering it, Seventeen lanced out a kick that pushed the Hakaishin's arm out of the way, unleashing the devastating invisible wave of destructive energy towards Piccolo's footing. Instead, the latter right side of Piccolo's flank was flashed into disintegration, vaporizing the material into sand and cleaving off the top half of the floating side of the floating detached segment of the ring. It was aimed too low to have it been a lethal threat to the Nameccian, but had it struck his legs and the ground below...

"I guess it was too much to hope for them to completely take his attention off me," Piccolo mused in his own thoughts.

"Where do you think you're looking?!" Eighteen cried out, hurtling four destructive discs at once, divided by each hand.

Before the twin's eyes, he'd swing a palm at the incoming projectiles, causing them to evaporate into sparks and completely dissipate. Clenching his hand into a fist, a massive wave of air pressure slammed into the pair. It'd send them flying awry, tumbling head over heels and skid across the uneven flooring.

"I'll take care of you mortals later," The rookie God of Destruction intoned, veering his gaze towards Piccolo's snarling visage. "As for you, Nameccian, your schemes end here."

A streak of amethyst over hickory moved its mass with adept ease. Bowling into the front of the emerald skinned warrior with just his mass, he'd stumble back and barely hold his stance. Eyes widened and he'd leap aside at the last fraction of a second, avoiding the fist packed with godly power.

One strike after the other, the Nameccian wove in and around, moving with surprising grace despite his handicapped charging he placed upon himself. Just as Toppo aimed to slam his palms on each of his sides, he'd swell up to an immense stature in an instant, far faster than he ever had done in the past.

"What-?!" The Hakaishin began to shout with surprise, suddenly looking upward at a giant that easily could stand eye-to-eye with the colossal Anilaza from before.

Without hesitation, Piccolo thrust a foot up and ground the flooring beneath him to kick the being straight up into the air.

"Hngh?!" The new god of Universe 11 blanched, his body not receiving any real damage, but the power and speed was great enough to send him soaring into the air of the arena. With nowhere left to run, and little time to propel himself back to the stage, his violet burning eyes fixed on a crackling pair of now behemoth fingers now pointing at him.

"MAKANKOSAPPO!" The Giant Nameccian howled, releasing a massive spiraling lance of demonic light. It painted the air with golden flashing purple, whizzing through with a shrieking deadliness that Goku knew too well. The gods of Universe 11, 6 and 7 all bore their eyes at the incoming projectile that screamed its way in slow motion, realizing there was little in the way of this attack missing its mark.

And it connected!

A collision of drilling power of ultra penetration filled the heavens of the void with an almost deafening presence. Hit and Gohan momentarily averted their gaze towards the flashing contact, Jiren's own gaze turning briefly up while Cell tried to capitalize the distraction; only to be kicked in the abdomen as the grey skinned trooper returned to battling just as quickly. Vegeta held back both Nameccians with no gaze granted to the battle and the rising cyborgs looked up with wonder in their eyes.

Wonder that turned to horror.

The drilling beam was held back by both hands, seemingly being drawn into an abysmal hole of space and godly might akin to rift of space/time. Within its confines it disintegrated, destroyed on a fundamental breakdown of physics and the will of a divine order. Piccolo's eyes widened as the rest of the beam disappeared from his outstretched fingers, and his massive sized person shook with visible fear of his imminent peril.

"Fall into despair, weak mortal," Toppo rumbled out, stretching out both palms towards his statuesque mass with a fearsome flash of amethyst etched white light. "HAKAI!"

A series of events unfolded faster than most could account for. The twin cyborgs saw most of it unfold as they were the only spectators that were within reasonable viewing distance.

Piccolo's body swiftly shrank down to its base form, leaping away as a distortion in the physical space twisted about and atomized in an instantaneous fashion. Arriving on the other side of the arena, the slab of the detached floating ring had been reduced to sand that blew away into the nothingness below them.

Along with Piccolo's left arm that was nothing but a perfectly bisected stub.

Landing with a magnified slam into the ground next to him, the Nameccian's eyes bulged wide and his mouth opened with a petrified state of realization. Baring his teeth all the same, he shakily turned around to look up at the taller mass of muscle and godly power. Even as he brimmed with divine energy, he was defiant and showed no cowardice in the face of an overwhelming force such as this.

"The fact you stare down your inevitable defeat is commendable, Nameccian, but foolish," Toppo he spoke aloud, condemning him as much as speaking solemnly. His hardened expression deepened as he bore a visible sneer at his steadfast attitude. "But I can't expect you to understand, the sacrifices I've had to endure. You, a mortal, has never experienced the weight of responsibility of so many lives in your hands. Your confidence is borne of ignorance of my divine burden."

"You sure like to talk a lot, for someone who looks down on lowly mortals," Piccolo talked back with a sardonic smirk stretched across his face. "Especially since you were one not ten minutes ago."

Veins threatened to burst along the bare scalp of the ex-trooper's head. His aura exploded into a column of Godly _ki_, and the violet flames now produced crackling ebony currents that snapped and popped about his body.

"DO NOT TALK LIGHTLY," Toppo bellowed out, throwing a straight hook towards Piccolo's face. "ABOUT MY RESOLVE!"

Space bent with the force of his massive fist. Godly power surged with his powerful limb, transferring the momentum into a strength that'd surely tear the Nameccian's head clean off his shoulders. His aim was true, and his fury enabled him to move far quicker than anyone had a right to be with newly anointed powers.

What it didn't account on was that Piccolo had the ability to read his movement and sidestep at the nick of time. Leaning forward till he was within reach, the other arm he had held back now unfurled a palm that released a tangential cauldron of solar gleaming light. So bright was it that it radiated throughout the entire arena, casting a blinding glare and outshined even his earlier magnified Makankosappo.

"H-How-!"

"I was God and Devil, once," Piccolo intoned, looking up with a challenging grin at the stunned Toppo. "Now I'm much more than that...

"...**Gekiretsu Kōdan!**"

Shouting out with a force beyond the expectations of any had of him, space pierced and shattered with his hand unleashing a widespread blaze of solar colored light from the point blank fired _Light Grenade_. Howling outward, Seventeen erected a barrier to brace himself and his sister, the raven haired cyborg baring his teeth as he watched Piccolo unleash what looked like a supernova at the Hakaishin. It erupted into the space of the World of Void's vista, tearing through the gaseous clouds and crackling the clouds of vapor around it in a sight of annihilating presence.

Vegeta formed a cone of Godly _ki_ as he stood his ground in the kickback reaching him; something that Pirina tried to take advantage of ahead the more cautious Saonel.

A flash of blue swept up from Vegeta's feet up to his erect mane, momentarily engulfing him in the power of Super Saiyan God Super Saiyan. Throwing a backhanded fist into his abdomen that detonated the burlier Nameccian's insides out of his back in a head-sized hole, the force of the blow was enough to send him rocketing towards the edge of the arena.

"PIRINA!" Saonel yelled aloud, leaping for his friend and elastically catching him narrowly while hanging his upper body over the arena's last bit of flooring. Vegeta returned to God form, turning his back to the pair of Nameccians while crossing his arms and looking ahead at the result of Piccolo's gamble.

The light finally died down, letting the spectating disqualified fighters and the surveying gods to look at the handiwork of what was unleashed. The top layer of the tournament grounds' floor was steaming in a thick haze of steam, the kachi katchin bubbling of a melted quality thanks to the super-heat unleashed of his _ki_. Toppo was no longer standing up close to the heaving Nameccian, his right sole arm still stretched out with a shaking point to where his enemy last presided.

The not-so distantly battling Cell had watched it unfold himself, his eyes wide with terror. Had such a technique been used on him, even after his training, he wasn't sure if he'd be so intact afterwards. Jiren himself looked on with a modicum of interest, his own person standing erect and turning towards the Nameccian but not approaching.

Especially when the silhouette of Toppo was unveiled.

"Hnngh...grrrrrk," The mustached fighter was peeled off his godly energy, only bearing the insignia of his new station still branded on his chest. The front of his body was burned from the abdomen at its most blackened all the way to his chest and arms where it was still reddish-pink from its contact of the overlying inferno he was exposed to. Parts of his own facial hair had been singed a bit shorter, and the rims around his eyes reddened, eyes tearing up from the blinding heat he was subjected to.

Most importantly, he was on just the front half of his boots on the ring, right next to where he was almost knocked off its edge.

"H-How...can you leave godhood...and obtain...this kind...of power?" The ex-trooper questioned with bewilderment painted on his face. "What kind of resolve do you possess...that could be stronger...than mine?"

"I'm the son of Katat, the Nameless Nameccian," Piccolo proclaimed proudly, managing a weak smile as his eyes locked onto his opponent's despite the distance between them. "And I value my people more than my responsibilities as a god on high."

"Value? No," Toppo suddenly snarled out, his hands balling up into fists and his body igniting into a fiery violet once more, sending a wave of air that instantly cooled the steaming floor between himself and Piccolo. Glaring with pupiless purple eyes he pulled back an arm and thrust it at the barely standing Nameccian, howling with fury. "YOU ARE WITHOUT PRIDE, UNIVERSE SEVEN!"

The melted fragments kachi katchin, along with the emerald skinned warrior, was sent howling off the edge. Even as Piccolo was sent hurtling backwards, the cyborgs looked on in awe as he didn't look like one of regret. Vegeta's own gaze looked on with respect, and the Nameccians themselves were surprised to see someone of their own kind give so much effort despite lacking their own brawn in power.

"Saonel," Pirina breathed out, grinning with a bloodied mouth as he stared up at his brother still clinging to his limply holding arm. "You have to...follow his example...and bring us victory."

"What are you talking about-?"

"Take my power," The broad jawed Nameccian intoned with a contented smile. "And the full might of Namek will be at your grasp."

"I...understand," He lamented aloud, clenching his eyes into a knitted glare. Even as moisture accumulated into his eyes he pulled his comrade up enough so he could place his palm onto the bigger man's chest. "I won't let you down."

"You better," Pirina began to say, his body beginning to embroil itself into a peerless white flame. "Otherwise Caulifla will kick your ass."

Once Piccolo had appeared in the Universe 7 side of the stands, exhausted and rendered inert, the flabbergasted Kibito just finished healing Tenshinhan and Kuririn only to get hurried to work on the Nameccian. Goku smiled proudly at his friend once enemy, raising a fist for the once God and Devil of Earth to connect. Grinning despite himself, the antenna adorned Earth-raised fighter connected his knuckles with Goku, silently acknowledging Goku's praise to his best efforts.

"Dammit!" Shin swore aloud, slamming his hands onto the stands' railing with visible frustration. "He was so close! He almost got him!"

"For an Earth-raised Nameccian, he's certainly come a long ways," Beerus noted with a slight smile. "To have charged that kind of power in a short amount of time. It's quite possible he was saving this kind of energy for this kind of attack from the very beginning of the tournament. Sly bastard."

"Though that does leave Android 17 and 18-"

"Cyborgs," Goku corrected with a blank look over his eyes. "They're actually cyborgs, Whis."

Clearing his throat, the attendant of Beerus continued with a raised finger, "Piccolo did put a lot of damage on Toppo. Unfortunately, even in his current state, his Godly _ki_ hasn't depleted. This makes him an opponent that not even Seventeen and Eighteen can defeat on their own."

"Well, I bet Vegeta can help them out-!"

Just as Goku began to say that, a sudden jarring sensation swept the stadium up to the stands themselves. A hallowed flame of white followed by a pure crystal blue tower of _ki_ emerged from the side of the stadium. It was magnificent enough that it made Champa's jaws drop, Cabba's eyes widen with surprise, and the distantly battling Hit and Gohan look over with surprise.

"No way!"

"Those two...just fused again!" Piccolo cried out from his spot next to Goku, complementing his surprise with his own.

Vegeta's own expression had changed from dispassion to genuine intrigue. Turning his sights from Toppo and the cyborgs, he looked over to see Saonel immersed in a vibrant wave of power that consisted of both halves of the population of Namek. Black eyes tinged with a pure ring of silver glared ahead, lips curled into a stoic frown and fists coiled into tightly bound fists.

"Well-Well, you finally went around and did it," Vegeta commented, unfurling his arms and adopting a slouched stance of slack readiness to the Nameccian. "I hope you know, this means nothing has changed."

"Vegeta," Saonel whispered, his antenna rising up with a voluminous force of his power unfolding from his body in a flash of force. "I'll take you off the ring, and secure the existence of Universe 6!"

Flashing into Blue, Vegeta leaped in at the same time as the Nameccian did. The pair began to unleash a barrage of agile and swift strikes, parrying each other with visible cracks in the air that sprouted ribbons of energy. Dancing around and about, they'd unleashed likewise kikoha that'd rain an arc of exploding blue and golden balls of fire in the air.

Leaving Seventeen to face down a slowly approaching Toppo with his sister standing warily beside him.

"Although I can't feel your energy, mortal, I can tell I am still stronger than you," The rookie Hakaishin inferred with narrowed eyes, now rife with virulent godly power once more. "That barrier will only delay the inevitable. Surrender and I shall show you a merciful end."

"And you expect me or my sister to say yes to that?" The raven haired twin inquired with a derisive smirk. "What do you take us for?"

"I see," The mustached destroyer glared with angled slits for eyes, burning with a deep violet flame. "Then it's _pain_ you want."

Zooming ahead, the gargantuan warrior of Universe 11 slammed into the barrier, cracking it by virtue of his own power combined into is leap. Pulling back both hands, he hammer fist through the dome of ghostly light, shattering it into fragments akin to glass. The pair broke off in opposite directions, renewing an ensemble of kienzan and kikoha straight at the beastly combatant.

"That tactic," Toppo snarled, swinging his arms around, scything the air with arcs of vicious godly light to encapsulate them. "Won't work any longer!"

"Ngh!" Eighteen grimaced, feeling herself thrown off her feet, slamming through a thick boulder of kachi katchin. Somersaulting into a skidding drop, she'd narrowly avoid being punched by the demi-god of might, firing point blank ineffectual blasts of _ki_ back at him.

Only to receive a direct fist into her palms, bending them inward and around in a broken mangled mess.

The shock of the injury stifled a scream she would've had; retaliated as her brother let out a furious howl.

"YOU BASTARD!" Seventeen charged ahead, blitzing into Toppo with a vicious slam of a barrier circled around each fist. Repeated hits brought out saliva to cough out of the mustached warrior, the impacts to his wounds inflicted by Piccolo erupted splatters of blood over the ragged cyborg's person. Even so, it didn't stop the monstrous hulk to retaliate with a backhanded strike and a torso warping gut punch.

"You cannot defeat me, mortal," Toppo sneered, punching him across his face, forcing him to hack out teeth as he did. "I am a god!"

Glaring with a bloodied mouth, the cyborg twisted around and kicked him in the chest, throwing out a two-handed energy wave that sent him skidding backwards.

Eighteen could only look on with a helpless stare as she fell to her knees. The agony of her broken arms caused her body to heave and tears to form in her eyes. Was this it? Was her family going to be erased because of her own weakness? Clenching her eyes, she bent her head down, stifling an audible weep as the battles raged and her broken arms lied limp at her sides.

Only for a sudden clacking sound to be heard beside her right side.

Blinking away the wetness of her blue orbs, she looked down amidst the debris she was surrounded by and saw a familiar sight: Potara Earrings!

Lurching her gaze over to the stands, she saw the likes of Shin leaning forward, his hand curled to indicate he had made the throw. A look of determination etched on the young Shinling's face, the likes of which shocked Kibito and visibly surprised Beerus and his venerable ancestor. Goku smiled widely while Piccolo gaped with realization with Whis smirking in a knowing manner.

"_Put an earring on, Eighteen!_" Goku informed her with telepathy, causing the blonde cyborg to reel in surprise. "_And have Seventeen put one on the opposite ear. Once you do, you'll become an immensely powerful person!_"

Gritting her teeth, she knew what she had to do.

"_Understood!_" She exclaimed mentally, grabbing at the upper sleeve of her tracksuit with her teeth and whipping her right broken arm around to just barely scrape the earrings up in her grasp. Tossing one up, she snatched them with her teeth and then focused what _ki_ she could to psychically place it on her right ear.

"SEVENTEEN!"

Hearing her cry out, brought Seventeen out of his fury induced barrage of destructive blows. Bloodied and bruised, he turned in time to see a moist earring spat out by Eighteen, hurtling straight towards him. He recognized it as the earring from earlier that woman -Kafla, was it?- put on. A fusion technique, if he remembered right.

Grasping the enchanted jewelry, he received a ramming thrust into his upper body that sent him reeling back across the air. As he tumbled, he fumbled to place the earring on one ear, only for it to slip out of his grasp. Recovering up, he felt himself kicked upward by Toppo's foot, forcing him to leave himself defenseless as he tried to link it to his right ear.

"No! The other one!" Eighteen insisted aloud.

"C-Coulda told me otherwise-!" He stammered out, being caught by a mammoth hand around his head in a vicious vice grip. Wincing as a titanic pressure was placed over his cranium he shakily placed the earring up over his left ear lobe and fastened it with a succinct click.

"What are you plotting?" Toppo sneered, his eyes narrowing at the brutalized artificial human. When he saw a shining gleam escape the golden jewel, his violet orbs widened with an aghast knowledge of what it was. A Kaioshin's earring! Why did he have it and, more importantly, why did he place it on his own ear?!

An ominous thrumming was heard as he looked over to see the mangled blonde woman also have one on her opposite ear. He knew of this technique, the very one that the Universe 6 Saiyans employed in their fight against the Bio-Android, Cell!

"I won't let you-!" He shouted with an arm filled with energy of destruction to aim at the earring on 17's left ear.

An invisible force yanked him out of his grip, pulling him along with his twin to slam straight forward with a look of hesitation on Eighteen's face and a teasing expression on Seventeen's. Rocks flew about, the air twist around them and they slammed with a flash of lightning that surged up into a tumultuous cyclone of ghostly white light. A titanic wave of power sprung from the depths of space, a light that became a peerless pair of wings that flapped up within the sky of the void's ceiling.

Toppo's eyes stared agape and his fists trembled with rage at having stopped it too late. The pair of energy borne wings twisted around and slammed back into the center of the vortex, silencing its energy and revealing a singular silhouette, devoid of the maiming and mutilated injuries either twin possessed. Rising up from it the figure took shape, and definitions of its appearance was revealed.

The person standing possessed the soft yet angled facial features known for both twins, with a pair of peerless crystal blue eyes indicative of their original names of Lapis and Lazuli. Seventeen's symmetrical style of hair that was split down the middle was present but Eighteen's blonde hair dominated the hue. Her pink tracksuit overlapped into a pair of sleeves with the front zipper pulled down to show the grey-green park ranger uniform lying beneath, along with the orange armband of "Ranger" placed along the upper left sleeve. Likewise her tracksuit covered her lower half with Seventeen's belt wrapped around the waist and his darker shoes adorned on the feet.

"So, this is fusion, huh?" The Potara warrior inquired, raising up a pair of gloved hands to squeeze experimentally in front of its eyes. "I thought I'd be weirded out by this. But this isn't so bad. Hope this isn't permanent, though; life at home would be incredibly complicated if it wasn't-"

The sudden, looming presence of Toppo broke off their combined thoughts as a massive hulking fist slammed towards their person. Fizzling out of view, the fist slammed and cracked the whole floor beneath him, but the combined cyborg was nowhere in sight.

"Man, you got real slow all of a sudden."

The mustached warrior slashed the space with destructive energy, watching the blonde fusion pocket both gloved hands and duck below the annihilating arc. Thrusting a crushing wave of force, he'd see it leap up casually to avoid the blow, curling in the air and launching a flying double kick that he raised an arm to defend. There was a succinct popping in the air, lightning sprouting from the connection as an invisible energy of the Infinite Energy Generator and Godly _ki_ combated one another for supremacy.

Separating with a loud bang that split the ground beneath Toppo's feet, the fused warrior flipped casually with hands still pocketed, and feet landing with ease onto the floor.

"Your power is matching mine!" Toppo snarled, looking infuriated at this development. Throwing a finger at them, he growled out with a demanding tone. "You're no longer simply two mortals dabbling with machines! What are you?!"

"That's a bit rude," The Cyborg spoke with a strangely singular tone, maintaining the smoothness of Eighteen but the casual drawl of Seventeen. Raising a hand up to flick the Potara earring on the left ear right next to the hoop earring both twins had been known to wear beforehand. "I don't have time to play the pronoun game, cause I got more important things to do. As to my name, just simply add both of Gero's designations for us; how does Android 35 sound?"

"Thirty Five," The Hakaishin snarled, his energy unleashing in a billowing flame as he howled with fury. "I'LL SEND YOU FLYING INTO THE ABYSS, ANDROID!"

A sudden, throttling thrust and the newly anointed god found his breath wheeze out. Looking down with a straining neck, he'd see the gloved fist stretch into his scorched abdomen. Looking up with a smirk, the combined twins chuckled as they corrected her thus.

"_Cyborg_."

* * *

**A/N**: I know this is really soon since the last chapter but, I wanted to get this out while it was fresh in my mind. Toppo's whole unveiling as the God of Destruction felt really...weak...if I'm going to be honest. I know that's kinda contradictory to how overpowered he was but, listen. If you're going to make such a big bombastic reveal like that, you gotta have a good pay-off. But since God of Destruction was watered down to simply being "Oh, I erase stuff into sparkly crap," then it kinda takes away the weight of it all. It becomes less of a status and symbol of absolute power and more of a just "we all got this power to Hakai crap," which makes them arbitrarily invincible with no feasible way of even harming them unless you got the right kind of rage boost.

In this way, I used the Universal cutting tool (Kienzan, as Toriyama said, can cut *anything*; outside of Filler where it doesn't or is caught) and 17's own barrier combination with his own significant Gokue!Blue power makes the twins actually relevant enough to hold him off. Add that to Piccolo accumulating enough energy over a short time to pierce through barriers made by Angels and you get a pretty stellar trio. I mean, I won't have them win that easily, but it was a good moment to give Piccolo before he's flung off the ring.

Add the brief peril of 18 experiencing what Vegeta did almost 17 years ago, and 17 getting the tar beaten out of him, I let Shin do something useful for a moment and give them the Potara. Yes, it was just handwaved in the Anime but I made it happen. Android-er-Cyborg 35 has now emerged! A little demonstration and you can see why I was stoked in revealing this little tidbit out. Some of you may ask why I didn't use the Heroes design, and it was way too close to the Super 17 design that I loathe so much from GT; that and their clothes don't match what they're wearing in the ToP.

Finally, a small part in tandem, I have Saonel fuse with Pirina to combine them into the Ultimate Nameccian of Universe 6. It's enough to keep Vegeta from simply repeating history from the Manga and Anime, while letting 35 handle Toppo themselves. Next time we'll begin to wrap up some of these periphery fights and pan over to Cell's battle with Jiren as I know some of you wished to see them battle, but this is basically just fluff you'd expect at the beginning segment of a prolonged Anime battle. I didn't want to make this chapter any longer than it already is :P

And with that, I bid you all adieu until the next eventual update of A Perfect Tournament!


	15. A Perfect Plan

Cell had thought he had seen it all.

Ever since he escaped his torment in Hell this entire tournament had been one surprise after the other. From doppelganger Saiyans unleashing strength at an astronomical level, to a Yardratian using an entire slew of tricks and finally a God of Destruction emerging in the arena. But now it all boiled down to the second fusion in a row, this time on his own team of his former siblings, Cyborg 17 and 18.

They were now much more than what they were.

Jiren himself had paused to observe, the two that were squaring off now watching with rapt anticipation at the instantaneous closing of gap between the cyborg twins and the fledgling destroyer. The former Pride Trooper attacked with a broad sweep of his arms, scything the air and cracking the ring ground even further.

A single move was all it'd take to annihilate an opponent.

But for some reason, Toppo couldn't hit the fused being.

And then, the aforementioned 35 hit back. He heard a brief mutter of, "Cyborg" before a kiai pummeled him in the torso, rippling his six packed burned waist up to his pectorals. Blood spewed out of his mouth as his mustache flapped out, his arms stretched forward when the rest of him sprawled back.

Thrown off his feet, the Hakaishin narrowly released a bundle of energy from his back to rebound himself back to the floor, skidding to a violent jarring halt. Panting heavily, sweat emerging across his angry brow, the flames of Godly _ki_ were doused along his darkened hickory pigmented skin. Burning amethysts for eyes glared with a pupiless sneer, the whole of his being casting a vehement look of disgust at the outstretched palm of 35.

One that turned around and curled into a come hither stance, beckoning him with a curled smile on its face.

"You...dare," Toppo snarled, his body igniting in a slow smolder of violet that spread from his scalp down his arms and crawling down his waist to his feet. Then, his brand along with his aura erupted in a magnificent flare of purple, casting its rays across the whole tournament of power ring with the shine of a dying star; synchronized with a wrathful bellow. "MOCK ME?!"

"You make it sound like that's something I did," 35 remarked with a smirk, keeping their hand outstretched in defiance of the fierce wind that rustled their tracksuit and evenly split blonde hair. "You're doing a good job being a mockery all on your own."

It was like watching a wrathful comet of dark fire with humanoid shape. A bestial snarl was all that was heard as the wounded ex-trooper leaped across space, cleaving through it in a crackling blur. In a trail of blackened-violet both hands clapped over where the fused Cyborg lied, snapping the flooring beneath their feet and splitting the air with snaps of ebony lightning.

A strongly pulsing dome of ghostly lime rejected the phenomena in a flash of white over both god's palms.

"You-!" The 11th Universe Hakaishin hissed out, rearing his arms back to slam against the dome again, this time embroiled with a thick current of divine power. "**HAKAI!**"

The shield shattered, vanishing into dwindling sparks.

As did the potara warrior, who flickered before the fledgling deity's eyes.

A whipping foot slammed from above to the back of his head, causing him to slam into the ground with a vicious thud. Growling he'd try to push up, only to feel his back slammed by two gloved fists impacting his spine. Howling out, he'd release an all-encompassing blaze of destructive energy, blasting it outward from his body and tearing a deep pit out of the kachi katchin beneath him.

It was enough to send the fused cyborg leaping away, giving him momentary respite to stand up and hack out a wad of blood onto the hole he carved.

"Impressive," Kai commented out loud, the Shinling of Universe 11 narrowing his eyes at the fused cyborg with keen interest. "Unlike the rising torrent of power that Kefla exuded, I feel no _ki_ of any kind emitting from it. Could it be that this fusion can mask its power because it's part machine, or is it something similar to Universe 4's attributes of not giving off any feeling when using its power?"

"The bigger question is," Kahseral spoke aloud, his one working eye and the optic of his cybernetic eye dilating together as he spoke aloud with trepidation. "How is Toppo on the losing side?! I thought Godly _ki_ is a higher tier of energy, not to mention the Energy of Destruction they possess. Why is he not laying a finger on that thing?!"

"It's those damn earrings," Belmod snarled, making the disqualified general of the Pride Troopers flinch. From the beret wearing man's perspective, the air seethed around him, swirling around and boiling. Bearing an expression of grim contemplation, the orange-haired clown destroyer glared ahead without giving any look towards his former subordinate. "It's an artifact meant to be worn by the gods, and grant them a permanent fusion that exponentially boosts their power. The greater the compatibility, the higher and more stable the new fused body becomes. Given those cyborgs looked to be twins it is likely they are among the best choice to use those relics on them, mortal or not."

"B-But, it's temporary, right?!"

"Ordinarily, yes," The 11th Kaioshin replied in Belmod's state, the agitation mounting on the ex-destroyer of their home cosmos. Raising a set of digits up, Kai explained to Kahseral -and by extension, the rest of the benched Pride Troopers- the facts. "Unfortunately, the average time of fusion is one hour. We have less than fifteen minutes left until the Tournament of Power concludes."

"T-That's-!" The General stuttered aloud, the rest of the disqualified troopers gawking in horror.

Their attention would shift back towards the ring as they'd feel a shift in the atmosphere within the World of Void.

Toppo had emitted a series of sparking orbs of _ki_ that had orbiting rings of ebony around violet cores. Like satellite rings circling a gas giant, the energy spheres -despite their size- packed Energy of Destruction with each microbe of pulsing dark light. They numbered up to four dozen by the time the fledgling god stared apart at Cyborg 35.

Swiping one arm from his right diagonally to his left, he'd twelve streaking like speeding comets towards the blonde synthetic human.

Shifting from the visible plane, the Potara Warrior flew forward, diving in a corkscrew spin to nimbly slip past the slicing beams of luminous destruction. Closing the distance to the orbiting demigod, the cyborg fired a kikoha to the right, pushing himself away from another hail of annihilating orbs Toppo fired in defensive retaliation. Through propulsive navigation, the blonde cyborg circled around, diagonally diving and swerving around the many pelting blasts of purple illuminating halos heading straight their way.

The rookie destroyer continued emitting more miniature destroying balls, swinging his massive arms around to guide and launch them at comparable speeds to the agile target. Each time it veered closer to him, entering his proximity and threatening to land an aggressive blow. It was all he could do but to ward his fierce opponent off with his authority as a destroyer to use obliterating orbs in hopes of taking off an arm or a leg without killing it.

"_If I can just hit it just once...!_" Toppo thought with a hardened glare, upping the pace of his arm swings and destroying energy production. "_I can secure victory, and then continue getting rid of the rest of this pesky Universe! Just one hit!_"

The blue eyed cyborg swept under his two arm slashing strikes, horizontally sliding across the floor with barely an inch of increment separating them from the surface of the uneven ground. Even as the destroyer swung a palm to slam onto the flat of their back, the Potara Warrior glided between his legs, spinning around to have their back against the ground, scissoring the pair of legs about; and kicking brutally against the back of Toppo's knees with a sickening pair of snaps.

"AUGH!" The Hakaishin gargled out, the pair of tightly-worn pants shredding with busted knee caps bloodying outwards onto the floor, bringing his balance downward.

It was enough to allow the blonde synthetic to plant both palms on the surface below and leap kick both boots into the small of his opponent's enormous back. Bowing with the force of the blow, the behemoth god was thrown face first across the arena, careening through croppings of ultra dense minerals and somersaulting head over heels over the landscape. Dragging himself to the far edge of the ring, he wearily pushed himself into an upright posture, his legs mangled on the ground beneath him, ebbing ichor while his aura bristled chaotically about him.

"It seems the fight is proven too much in his condition," Whis noted from his place on the stands, his face looking impassively as he noted the mangled state of the new fledgling demigod. "Although he has considerable strength, the boundless potential of this new fusion is far above his ability to deal with."

"Man, I wish I could've fought him! Or her?" Goku questioned amidst his giddy excitement at how awesome the new combined twins' power was.

"Does it really matter?" Piccolo intoned with a snort, crossing his arms as he was continually restored to viable health by Kibito from behind. "I managed to damage him enough that he was too slow for this improvised fusion technique to do him in. Maybe, had the fight started between them, this would be an even fight. But as it stands..."

"Toppo has no means of winning this battle," Beerus spoke with narrowed eyes, speaking lowly as he looked with grim satisfaction at the quivering state of Universe 11's Hakaishin successor. "It's over."

Indeed, Toppo looked as if he was physically drained. Even as his Godly ki burned menacingly around him, the injuries he sustained had taken their toll on him. Combined with his inexperience in wielding this divine power and his egregious use of Hakai, the mustached ex-trooper could only await a summary staged defeat. He didn't need to look at the stands to know how displeased his mentor or the Kaioshin were, nor how disappointed the Pride Troopers were with how far he's fallen.

Grinding his hands into his palms, tight enough to squeeze out blood from pierced skin, he began to heave out with visible aggravation.

"D-Damn it," He swore under his breath, his glowing eyes glaring ahead as the cyborg stepped confidently towards him, crossing the distance in a purposefully gradual manner. "I...cannot lose here! I...am Toppo...Universe 11's God of Destruction! There's too much riding on me...to simply...LOSE IN THIS WAY!"

A shrieking gale of wind was unleashed from the destroyer as a howling torrent of fiery violet flames of godly power exploded outward. While Cyborg 35 narrowed their eyes ahead, the united twins blinked with a glare at what was transpiring. A black center had funneled around the hand of the bloodied right hand, the other entombed in a bright incandescent amethyst fire that was funneling energies into it. Even as Toppo's power was vented heavily into the atmosphere, the vast majority of it was fusing into his palm; all of it turning into Energy of Destruction.

"Don't tell me-" Kai was beginning to say, his eyes widening with alarm as even the dour Belmod looked nervously at the ring below.

"You FOOL!" Belmod shouted, his hands bundling into his hair as he stood up and screamed at his subordinate. "IF you kill it, you'll disqualified and we'll take the fall! STOP IT NOW, TOPPO!"

Grinning angrily with throbbing veins along his balded scalp, the white hair bristling around his face danced over bared teeth. He didn't care any longer what the consequences would be. As long as he could erase this threat to the 11th Universe's survival, that's all that mattered to him.

When a spherical halo of bright virulent energy had been formed, Toppo braced his right forearm while shoving the outstretched hand to encompass the vista before his gaze.

"Begone from this Tournament of Power, Cyborg 35," He snarled, unleashing with a pupiless glaring howl afterwards. "**HA-KAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAI!**"

The surface of the arena peeled off like wallpaper, dissolving into sand as the imprint of a violet colored hand of colossal proportions swathed over the ring straight towards the blonde fusion. Blue eyes stared ahead, a briefest of glints of emerald igniting around their tracksuit and yellow locks before they were swept over by the tidal wave of destructive energy. Even the nearby battling Vegeta and Saonel, Cell and Jiren made sure to give a wide birth to the disintegrating blaze of power that cracked the ring into further disarray, eliminating all standing protrusions and then embedding its shape into the distant gaseous clouds of the World of Void's horizon.

Everything was annihilated in a sweeping wind of sand. The obliterated earth, the obstacles surrounding them, and anything that had a microbe of life was grasped in a deadly grip of an angry god's power.

Heaving heavily, Toppo stared ahead as his power dimmed around himself, and a devilish smirk adorned around his hickory tinted face.

One that disappeared when he saw a single streak of untouched ground trailing behind an untouched Cyborg 35, with not even a single hair out of place nor a scrap of clothing torn. All that indicated the miracle of their survival was a ghostly thin barrier atypical of Seventeen's handiness, combined with Eighteen's trained energy control that became a near impenetrable shield. Evaporating into a rising halo of sparks, the dispassionately expressed artificial human narrowed their eyes at Toppo who looked completely aghast.

"That was a dangerous move you just pulled," 35 remarked with their eyes glaring at him. "You didn't just try to kill me now, did you? Isn't that against the rules?"

"Why...you-!"

In an instant, 35 appeared in front of his bloodied, maimed body and had a single gloved hand straight towards his leaning face.

"I'm done playing with a sore loser."

Without any expectation of reprisal, the blonde cyborg unleashed a golden wave of _ki_ that careened into his immense statuesque form and throttled him powerfully off what's left of the arena grounds behind him into the abyss behind him. Lowering a steaming hand, the twins combined let out a snort, rolling their eyes as they'd pocket their hands into their tracksuit jacket and not even deign to acknowledge Toppo's disappearance into the blackness beyond.

Only for him to unceremoniously slap in a heated pile next to his comrades and Belmod, the Grand Priest smiled at the resounding conclusion.

"Toppo of Universe 11 is out of bounds," He announced with a wave of his hand.

"They actually did it!" Goku exclaimed with a broad smile on his face. "Whew! Man I really need to fight them next time we get the chance!"

"It looks like...my efforts paid off," Piccolo grunted, still feeling the agony in his muscles as the Shinling behind him mended him back together from the inside out. "For once, I'm glad my plans actually had bore fruit."

"Agh! Why did you have to mention food? Now I'm hungry-!"

Without even blinking, Whis produced a basket from behind himself and unfurled its contents over the stands, including a dish of warmed pizza for Beerus to consume. Goku ravenously devoured thick sticks of meat while Beerus mirrored his consumption of edibles; not even questioning how long or when the Angel had stashed some snacks.

This left them to watch in rapt voracious silence as 35 turned from their place near the edge of the ring to look over at Cell's battle with Jiren. Their eyes briefly glanced in Vegeta and Gohan's directions, acknowledging their own tense fights. For the moment, they kept themselves idle and watching, awaiting a moment when interceding would be appropriate and necessary.

It was bound to happen sooner than anyone would expect.

* * *

Hit felt himself backed against a corner.

While his initial battle against the son of Goku was nothing short of one-sided, it had swiftly turned into a battle of competing strength that increased in the span of mere minutes. Barring the times of not-so-distant fights interrupting their concentration, they had been trading blows nonstop since his half Saiyan rival had awakened a new kind of technique to overcome the difference in reaction timing required for his Time Skip assault. Unlike Vegeta who had tried to take the blow and catch him without defending himself, or Goku's muscle memory of anticipating where Hit was most likely to hit, Gohan was strictly using a method all of his own.

One that he was finding it difficult to understand and get around it himself.

Within the fraction of an instant that he launched himself with Time Skip, he released a pulse of _ki_ that enveloped around all the surrounding environment and his prey. It was how he was able to navigate seemingly in an instantaneous manner. In some jobs he took, he could take a leisurely stroll inside of a high-rise structure and walk up the stairs without ever breaking his moment of Time Skip. But in combat scenarios like this, the fractions of a second was all he'd need to implement a combination attack that would seem brutal and beyond comprehension.

But his own use of Time Skip, let alone every other technique, was being sensed by Gohan's uncanny _ki_ sense. Throwing one punch would be met by this thin aura of light that'd not only anticipate his movement and deflect it but also absorb the very essence of his energy's attack and produce a kickback infusing its own energy as a doubling method. Each time he tried to increase the ante of variance, even the positioning of his person, the weave of power Gohan utilized was reacting in kind and fueled by his own aggressive assault.

Without him realizing when, Gohan was starting to physically weave himself along with the reactive flow of his own energy. Not even seeing Hit directly in the use of aggressive Time Skip, the half Saiyan released his attacks and was doing less of a purely defensive posture and more of a counteroffensive that'd parry his blows. The two danced around with a series of ground shaking blows, their limbs packing enough power to effortlessly cleave through worlds and mere glancing measures released tendrils of bio-energy snapping around them like lightning.

At one point or another, the tense battle between the assassin of Universe 6 and the prodigy child of Universe 7 had equaled out.

It was only a matter of time till one eclipsed the other. Unlike the self destructing measure of Goku's unbridled strength through Blue-Kaioken, Gohan's energy was a natural use of deft ability and skilled weaving. Hit's own Time Skip was never designed for such a prolonged battle, and all of his own killing moves had been rendered ineffective in a battle such as this.

Then, he felt the force of Gohan's punch connect with his face.

"Hngh!" The violet-grey warrior felt as if his whole skull rocked back from the sledgehammer of a fist. Taking a step back, he'd throw himself back to Time Skip forward and narrowly miss the black haired man's own face, grazing a cut across his cheek; only incurring another follow-up uppercut into his trench coat covered abdomen.

"Gah!" He'd exhale out, feeling himself thrown upwards by a meter before feeling the vicious roundhouse kick slam him against the face and send him spiraling back across the ring. Even as he regained his footing, his eyes dilated at the instant arrival of the half Saiyan, a streak of peerless bluish white light imprinting in the air behind him. Falling back into phasing through him, he'd launch a follow-up kick that the half Saiyan parried with an instinctive swipe of his arm that knocked his boot away.

Grabbing it before he could retreat, Gohan thrust a palm heel thrust into his chest, unleashing a point blank Masenko that tore apart the studded material of his coat and hurled him farther to the near outer perimeter of the ring. Leering a glance over his shoulder to see no bottom, Hit veered to the left, throwing a series of Time Skip kicks at where he anticipated his opponent arriving, feeling the concussive kickback from doing so that delayed him for a few moments.

Twisting around, he'd throw a punch, coiled with a paralyzing orb of his own energy.

A tense grip around his wrist halted him, amidst the frozen space of his own making, brought the assassin to an immediate stop.

"Your Time Skip," Gohan intoned, casting a glare past the film of bluish-white that ebbed from his coal tinted eyes; shining brilliantly amidst the quagmire of slanted, fractured space/time surrounding the two. "No longer works on me."

With a deft pull, Gohan threw all of his weight into slamming the shin of his leg into his side. A painful cracking sound was heard as ribs snapped along the left side of Hit's body, his eyes bulging as a veritable shattering noise split apart his pocket dimension. Hurtled across the distance, he'd bounce and slip painful over the uneven ground. Digging his palm into the earth, he grounded himself to a halt, cutting into his fingernails and producing stabbing pain up his right hand.

A grimace adorned his face as he staggered up to his feet, his eyes staring stoically back at Gohan as he swiftly streaked towards him. Pulling back his right arm, he coiled the last of his Time Skip prowess and began to formulate a means of imprisoning him in a permanent stasis.

And then, his eyes veered away, looking to the backside of Cell's halo of emerald tinted golden flame. Even now, he could sense the power that escalated thanks to the reservoir of endless strength that the trapped Kefla was feeling within its carapace. Closing his eyes, he dropped his guard, and accepted inevitable defeat.

Finding himself kicked straight backwards by a final kick from Gohan that sent him reeling into the infinite nothingness behind him.

Opening his eyes he'd coil the totality of his strength, an immense cobalt flame that crackled against the lime textured clouds that surrounded him in the great beyond. Gohan's eyes slanted and his arms raised in anticipation of dodging it. But, a smirk stretched across the assassin's visage; right as he launched a streak of amethyst light that streamed ahead...!

* * *

Cell felt himself handling this level of power.

The Fused Saiyan within him was perpetually channeling their seemingly bottomless pit of energy that was produced thanks to the pair's compatibility and unique existences as far as their species went. Throwing himself into the barrage of piercing punches sent his way by Jiren's dizzying array of fisticuffs, he matched him with dispersing swings of his arms and kikoha he launched in retaliation. The pair's power was steadily increasing and the Bio-Android had no intent of slowing down against an opponent of this stature.

Even the surprising existence of his siblings fusing wasn't enough to completely distract him from the ultimate reality: as long as he possessed Kefla's power, he was unstoppable!

"This isn't bad. Not bad at all," Cell remarked amidst swinging both arms around to scythe through the latest barrage of piercing punches sent straight his way. "This level of power is quite formidable; but I can tell this is far from your best, isn't it?"

Jiren's eyes glowered and his body -currently engrossed in a thin flame of deep red- blossomed a more intense flame of blood hued energy around him. The ground crackled, the air undulated with a concussive impact that caused the Bio-Android to stagger back. Glaring eyes widened, a flash of scarlet wrapping around seemingly pupiless sockets; unleashing a horde of now hundreds of phantom fists launching towards Cell.

"Oh no-NGH!" The Bio-Android briefly remarked, feeling his face down his torso slammed by the first two dozen hits that indented his immaculate carapace of spotted green. Releasing an ample amount of power with a warping barrier to stave off the next wave of distantly projected hits from the statue still opponent of his, he'd use Instantaneous Movement to close the gap and strike at his back. Jiren's gloved left hand reached up and grasped the shin of his boot, unmoved by the force of his blow.

A brief shout was released as Cell timely released a vent of _ki_ to soften his face's imminent impact against the ground. Raised up to repeat the gesture, he threw out his right wing to slap Jiren across the face; only to see the appendage bang against a shell of red light that didn't go past it.

"Oh shit!" He exclaimed.

Slam! Slam! Slam!

He'd feel his body undulate in pain as he'd feel the shockwaves of Jiren's strength bypass his current increment of power he was drawing from the Potara Warrior sealed within him. His neck cracked, his mouth spewing out bile and his shoulders strained over and over. The ground buckled, cracking from the effort while a glaring stoic warrior continued to beat him senselessly.

"I've! Had! Enough! Of! This!" The Perfect Being snarled, his eyes dilating in between kinetic rams, his body releasing an infuriatedly higher amount of power than before.

Banging against the ground, Cell forced out a wafting umbrella of light to brace himself and destabilize the earth beneath the two's feet. It was enough to wriggle himself free, and land a kick that Jiren blocked, the effort producing a spray of kinetically borne electricity. The two pairs of eyes met, and Cell somersaulted up and around the grey skinned warrior, unleashing a slew of piercing kikoha, the red beams glancing off the curvature of Jiren's barrier of sheer power he was releasing.

Skidding backwards, he watched as Jiren renewed his ocular assault, forcing Cell to use his adept ki sense to predict the pinpoint accuracy at his form. This time he began to throw bundles of kiai into the phantom fists, forcing them to veer off track or collide into one another. The result was a sparking series of combustions that rolled scarlet flames into one another, stalling the vicious onslaught of physical beatings that the Android would've felt once more.

"I feel their strength seeping into every facet of my being!" The Bio-Android thought confidently as he released a maddening grin. His aura released a towering inferno of power as he'd slowly gain the upperhand against the immovable titan's attacks. Throwing the kiai with far more veracity, his eyes coiled inward and then release a pair of piercing light in between the gap of his attacks.

It was enough that Jiren had to lean his head to the side, avoiding the heat of the light that let a searing mark across his left cut cheek from Goku's earlier punch.

His face construed to one of surprise that in the moment of faulting his assault, the Bio-Android was now on top of him. A pale fist slammed into his raised burned palm, causing the ground beneath him to buckle and slam hard beneath his boots' soles. A smarmy smile stretched across Cell, aggravating Jiren enough to throw his gloved fist upward-

-only to whiff through an Afterimage as a yellow boot into his gut. Spit spewed from his mouth, abdomen curling with the shape of his foot and his heels grounded against the earth.

"Heh, this is Perfect," Cell praised himself, looking down at his palms and gripping them experimentally as energy danced around his person. "At this rate, I'll surpass you using my own genes and this extra power source. I've almost drawn out her total strength; I may have to dispose of her if this gets too intense and I might accidentally do her in by draining her."

As he postulated this, the Bio-Android veered away from a crimson tear in space that tore a chunk of his left cheek off in a bloodied chunk. He didn't need to see that it pierced the fabric of the World of Void's atmosphere behind him to know that this punch was far more intense than before. Flexing his jaw, he squelched out a new piece of flesh in place of the one he lost, the Bio-Android looking at Jiren's steaming burned fist being the one at fault; his energy now a crackling crimson compared to earlier.

"I see I might need to kick things up a notch," Cell declared with a smile, swinging his arms out, unleashing another pyre of emerald outlined golden light from his body. "Very well! Let me show you the power of Perfection-!"

A sudden, whistling beam collided with a stinging sensation into his spine, pulsing an amethyst light over his body.

As he faltered in his speech, placing a pale palm over his chest, the sound of the Grand Priest announcing Hit's disqualification caused his eyes to widen with stark realization. Was he just attacked by the assassin? Apart from the stinging feeling, it didn't cause any real damage, especially given he had no typical organs like most organics; he could survive being obliterated down to the last cluster of his cellular make-up and regenerate.

But, something inside of him was wrong. While it was true he had drawn out a lot of power that was still radiating in his being, he suddenly felt a sudden disconnect to the inside. Something within had been cut off, and that power within him was...

...gone?

"N-No!" He exclaimed, realizing that he was currently disconnected from Kefla's energy while also feeling a good chunk of his organs had been ruptured on the inside.

"H-Hurk!" The Bio-Android puked out a gallon of bile and blood onto the ground, his body brought to one knee and a palm clasping onto the earth. Heaving heavily, he strained to look up at Jiren, whose eyes narrowed with stoic understanding. "D-Dammit!"

"What happened?!" Beerus exclaimed in time with his twin Universe counterpart, the feline destroyers' eyes bulging and mouth slackened.

"It appears," Vados began to say from Universe 6's side of confusion at Cell's sudden moment of weakness, looking over to the exhausted Hit laying over the bench with faint breaths leaving his blood stained lips. "Hit used Time Skip in a new way yet again."

"But when?" Goku inquired with a confused head turn towards Piccolo and Whis, even glancing towards Beerus as his own face became more cautiously guarded.

"It was when Gohan knocked him out of bounds," Piccolo answered, his eyes slanted into an angular glare, his hairless brows twitching with realization. "Hit launched one last attack. It bypassed Cell's body and struck the insides where Kefla was. There, he must have cut off the flow of ki that he was siphoning from her."

"Not only that," Whis added, a more icy expression revealed over his pale blue face. "It seems that Cell is struggling to find a way of reconnecting with that energy. So while she's still unable to escape, Cell can no longer tap into her boundlessly rising energy."

"That slick bastard," Beerus snarled, his face beginning to ebb sweat as he swallowed nervously. "Now that he's been wounded to this degree, can he really still put up a fi-"

Cut off in mid-speech, a steaming pillar of lime colored light shot straight into the endless sky of the Tournament of Power. Lightning shot around the turning top shaped ring. Twisting around like a tornado of fiery power, one could see the halo of blindingly bright energy that throbbed a conduit of power that was beyond comprehension. Bio-energy danced up and down like rings of serpentine blue, the green pair of crests rising as Cell stood back up to his feet, wiping the blood away from his mouth as he stared defiantly back at the grey skinned warrior ahead of him.

Not hesitating to launch a renewed offensive, a towering build of black-red spandex wrapped muscle warped forward, and Cell deflected the fist with both arms. The shrieking energy released from the pair's connection enveloped in a blasting green-crimson of contact. Twisting on his heels, he'd thrust a foot up that narrowly missed Jiren's chin-

-which did connect with an immediately follow-up ax kick to his chin that caused him to skid backwards.

"So what if I can't draw out more of her energy at this moment," Cell remarked with a depraved smirk adorned on his face, lightning dancing around his emerald-accented golden aura. Raising a hand he pointed at his crown with a smile intact on his face, much to the chagrin of Universe 6. "It doesn't matter if you tear me into pieces. I'll always come back from it. Which means I'll call upon her power only in a matter of time, just you wait."

Suddenly, Jiren felt a disturbance in the air that his and the Bio-Android's ki wafted.

The sudden sense of movement heading towards his rear. Leaping up in an instinctual back flip he'd avoid 35's charging punch, dancing around in the air to charge a wafting crimson kikoha in her palm, unleashing it straight into the top of the cyborg's cranium-

-only to see a gleam of emerald light disperse its energy.

Dynamically twirling back onto his heels, he'd lean out of Cell's piercing kikoha, deflecting the rest with a cleave of his gloved hand. 35's assault of swift dashing attacks he'd deflect with his other arm, nimbly leaping out of the way, seemingly flowing with the current of all these antagonists that aimed to take him down. Stoically sneering he'd turn around and begin to throw punches at a vastly accelerated pace, each one nullifying if not outright altering the momentum of his adversaries. It was enough to stagger Cell back and 35 skid back despite absorbing the brunt of the assault with their own barrier.

"For someone so prideful, you certainly don't rely a lot on your own power," Jiren intoned with a sneering glare. "You are a depraved being, Cell of Universe 7."

"Oh cry me a river," Cell rolled his eyes, placing his hands on his hips and looking more annoyed than he was initially shocked from earlier. "I took advantage and used her for what I needed. I've soaked in a good portion of her power as it stands. Even if I can't draw out more at the moment, I'll do so when I need it and by that point I'll already surpass you."

Narrowing his eyes, Jiren suddenly streaked forward at an impossible speed that went past the sight of 35.

A sudden streak of crimson currents curling with blood red light streamed towards Cell's person. Much like the feat that defied Dyspo's penetration of hyperspace, Cell could see his momentum and readied himself to counter.

However, instead a gliding pulse of silver slipped between himself and the incoming target. A muscled hand of familiar description grasped the more substantial burned fist, dispelling the stream of scarlet hued might that was aimed to break through the Bio-Android's guard. Not only that, but the force it throttled into the trooper's, and sent him staggering back in a vertically elliptical tear into the kachi katchin floor beneath their feet.

"Sorry," Gohan falsely apologized, surprising Cell as a halo of silvery-white light ebbed off Gohan in a tight hold over his every feature. As Jiren stared with a hunched glare of interest, the son of Goku took a few steps into the semi-circle of fighters that were all aimed to be rid of him. The raven haired locks blew away with the animated flow of his serene aura, the singular arched bang danced over his face, eyes contracting into a primed attention to her ahead of him. "Mind if I cut in?"

Cell's gaze soaked in the unique look of energy control that Gohan had attributed to himself. It gave off a semblance of similarity to how Goku appeared when he had absorbed the Genki Dama. But unlike the constant heated venting that eventually exasperated his power, it was like a controlled tempered flame that hugged close to his person; not inside, like his Perfect Gold Kaioken, nor Goku's own Perfected Blue Kaioken. It was something beyond that yet something unfamiliar.

35, while not under any indicator of just how high his power was, merely scoffed with a smirk adorned on their face, "It makes no difference. We all seem to want to get rid of this annoyance so the real final battle can begin. If we pool all of our strength together, we should make short work of him."

"Tch, interrupting my fun wasn't something I'd condone," Cell indicated with a glare, pulling his arms up to engross himself in a thick current of still lime-colored golden light of his enhanced power. "Give me time, and I'll close the gap against him again. Try to stay out of my way as I do."

Jiren meanwhile narrowed his eyes silently at newly arrived Gohan and glowered.

An aurora of heat released from his body as a burning wave of red ebbed off his person. The others looked in his direction in acknowledgement of his threatening person hadn't left them despite this interruption. A faint whistling sound was heard as the collective crimson light coiled around his burned hand, forming into a tight compress around his hand's shape.

Leaning his body back, an impression of an immense force howled into the fore, making all those present to realize what the grey skinned titan intended.

"HM!" He'd grunt loudly, throwing his fist out to release a behemoth sized phantom fist that slammed into their vicinity. Cyborg 35's body skidded back from the impact against the skin-tight barrier, looking surprised at the sheer bludgeon it had incurred. Apart from them was Cell who had also erect a cracked barrier. Gohan had a single hand stretched in front of him, and the area around him was untouched, redistributed about him as the collaboration of fighters had assembled themselves in accordance.

"This distraction changes nothing," Jiren exhaled out, pulling back his fist as his eyes narrowed at them all. "I'll eliminate you all at once if necessary. The odds aren't in your favor for survival, Universe 7 and 6. My strength is beyond mere addition of numbers nor the multiplication of fusion. I am power incarnate."

Lowering his hands to his sides, his burning aura evaporated, leaving him deceivingly unprotected while staring ahead at them all.

"Let me show you why."

In the distance, Vegeta was still locked horns with the powerful last Nameccian of Universe 6. Saonel's power and prowess finessed through the majority of basic strikes, using a totality of a legion of might to produce satisfying impacts. The Super Saiyan Blue was actually matched in power with every subsequent clash they exchanged, their power producing sizable quakes and splits within the fabric of space.

But as their battle temp increased, the Saiyan prince would stop and look with Saonel. The air around them shook in complement to the distantly tower of muscle. The Pride Trooper stood ahead and released an astronomical layer of energy that produced a crimson halo that then released an external layer of golden-orange light that thrummed against its core of power. The light of a dying Sun released sent seething waves of air in their direction, his hair waving along with the antenna of his Nameccian adversary in response to the raising power of the final opponent.

"Finally," Belmod remarked with a painted smile. "You're finally getting serious, aren't you, Jiren?"

Goku tensed with bared teeth, his eyes wide and his scalp moistening with cold sweat as a chill ran up and down his spine. Piccolo looked on in awe, understanding just how monstrous Universe 11's Ace warrior was. The other Earthling fighters rung out on the benches awakened with flabbergasted expressions. Kuririn looked worriedly at the apparent fusion of 17 and his wife, Tenshinhan stared in awe at the current state of energy their team possessed in stark contrast to Kefla and Jiren's immense force that stood above the rest. Beerus grimly stared ahead stoically, Champa chattered his teeth nervously, while Vados and Whis exchanged knowing glanced to one another.

In response to this, however, the other fighters raised their respective power to challenge Jiren.

Cell unleashed a column of golden majesty, his body undulating as it'd shift from emerald to solar tinted majesty with purple accented flesh and spots. Red eyes opened and he'd assume a fighting posture of crisscrossed wrists, a grim expression of concentration adorned on his person. His eyes would drift with a hidden sinister intent at his fused siblings, the pair of earrings jingling as the combined twins settled into a basic fighting stance as they had no real power to visibly increase.

Gohan, on the other hand remained unmoved and stared ahead with a look of conviction. The Perfect Being couldn't begin to pick apart the brain of the child that done away with him a lifetime ago, but the halo-adorned Android believed Gohan's power had yet to fully be realized. Casting away his doubts, he'd put his mind on the obstacles that was the main aggressor, Jiren himself.

"_I'll be the one last standing,_" Cell determined with a cruel smile spread across his violet skinned face. "_Just you wait, only I will be the one to show everyone the perfection of my design!_"

* * *

**A/N**: So, obviously I did a hasty retcon/edit of this Chapter. As much as I liked the idea of Hit pulling a Deus Ex Machina to add a twist, I felt like this didn't really do justice to the event of Cell's idea to absorb Kefla for a couple of reasons.

1 - Kefla was already 'defeated', so bringing her back sullies Cell's triumph in this way.

2 - Jiren was always going to be the final boss. If by some miracle I'd find a way to eliminate that obstacle, it feels like I'm adding aggravation to myself by adding another wild card to deal with while Jiren's also trying to deal with them. By centralizing him as the main antagonist, it helps me focus on what's important and keep Cell on front center stage along with the surprise entrances of Gohan and 35 to back him up.

3 - This story has to end soon, and not get dragged out for an additional couple chapters of padding. If I really did go through with what I did, it's unlikely I'd actually live this down if I did it in a half-assed manner.

Sorry to disappoint everyone, but Kefla's going to stay inside Cell for the time being. Otherwise there'd have been no real point to her being absorbed in the first place XP Cya in the next eventual update!


	16. The Perfect Team

This was it.

The true beginning of the end.

Before now, Cell had only a taste of this monstrosity in mortal flesh that Jiren embodied. But now, he was unveiling his true strength; the same power that he used to utterly defeat the cybernetic beast that was Anilaza. Being so close to it he compared to standing in the berth of a dying star. At any moment, he could feel a literal _Supernova_ detonate, and the ring - along with anyone foolish enough still standing on it - would be taken out.

Now, garnered in his Perfect Gold form, he grit his teeth down and bent his legs - catapulting himself forward in a wing-spread blur towards his adversary.

A purple fist threw forward, a streak of gold following its momentum towards his chosen target, the pale chin hidden behind a two-fold aura of orangish red and deeper crimson still. Before his gaze he'd see hairless head weave out of the way-

-and he'd instantly feel an explosion of pain from a phantom fist that struck his chest and threw him backwards. Cyborg 35's eyes widened at the sight, seeing a trail of _ki_-borne fire ignite the kachi-katchin flooring below as he'd explode a patchwork of debris behind where he'd taken off from before.

In that moment of losing sight, a looming Sun-colored giant appeared in front of him. Turning their head around, they'd look up and only have a moment to erect a barrier to halt what looked like a meteor-sized set of knuckles heading straight down towards them. It cracked and fragmented like glass, disappearing within a fraction of a second of making contact-!

"No you don't!" Gohan shouted, throwing himself bodily into the cyborg fusion's side to have them crash into the side of the ring's pillar. Raising his arms up in a crisscross to absorb the incoming blow, he'd find his eyes widen palpably. His body lurched down and his flow of _ki_ buffeted the impact backwards, but not nearly all of it with his body crashing below a deep pit within the arena's dense mineral material.

Within a matter of seconds, everyone on the sidelines - even the outlying fight of Vegeta against Saonel and Roshi over Rota - they all felt the same thing the opponents of Jiren did.

**Dread**.

"T-This...is Jiren's full power?" Goku gawked, his face beading sweat along with Piccolo. "Its...its like it has no end in sight! Not since I fought Majin Buu have I felt such a bottomless well of strength...!"

"Even three on one, they were just tossed aside," The Nameccian of Universe Seven gritted his teeth, grinding his hands on his lap as he watched on with a sense of helplessness. "Here I thought...with Gohan's rising power...the twins' fusion, and even Cell...but they're all doomed!"

"I-Its too soon to give up hope," Shin proclaimed, turning back and forth to his peers with a trembling smile on his face. "I mean, they just gained massive boosts in power. They should be able to handle him together, right?"

Silence. Whis didn't say anything, just keeping a mask of stoicism as he watched on with attention. Beerus bared his teeth, his hands gripping his own arms tightly as he kept _himself _from showing his own trembling. Old Kaioshin looked curiously at the hole Gohan was put in, not showing any real sign of being affected by the outcome of what Jiren's power was capable of.

Kibito, busying in restoring the vitality of everyone else, couldn't bear to look his lord in the eyes. Everyone on the sidelines couldn't muster up a false hope. This was an opponent that bested Goku with little injury to boot. If they couldn't best him, here and now...

"I seek that what is beyond strength," Jiren spoke aloud, turning his face to look at the cyborg fusion as it rose up to dust themselves off of dust and debris. "Long ago, I was in your place. Placed against an impossible position of adversity, yearning for victory but utterly helpless in the end. When I eventually surmounted that, I find myself questioning what meaning is there when strength is achieved and nothing else is matched? I had hoped to find it, coming here...but all I see before me is wasted ambition."

In a split instant, a golden light birthed behind the space Jiren stood. Twisting around on his heels a left gloved palm stretched out and grasped the materializing face of Cell, simultaneously avoiding the fist that was aimed towards his own alabaster colored skull.

"Your pride is hollow, only for the moment and without sight of what lies beyond," The Grey spoke, his hand digging deep into the Bio-Android's face, with squelches of violet blood splurting between his covered digits; some splotches splattering onto his mostly unmarked face, staining it with amethyst ichor. "You are the lowliest of parasites. Feeding off the lives of others in order to achieve strength. You are worse than the Saiyan, Son Goku, who strove for strength for the sake of strength itself. You are scum!

"And those without a reason to live beyond simply existing are truly a waste in the cosmos!" Jiren howled, detonating the Bio-Android's skull through sheer gripping pressure of his own palm. Watching his body slump to the ground, the halo remained in comical place to where his head once presided but now just hovered over the bloodied stump as he knelt without dignity in front of him.

Raising a thumb to wipe off the blood on his cheek, he'd suddenly hear a whizzing sound. Turning to look, he'd widen his enormous eyes to see what looked like a bus-sized disc of golden light shearing the air straight towards him. Throwing a piercing punch towards it, he'd gape at the sight of his own max-powered punch being split apart like butter as it hummed straight towards him.

"Tch!" He clicked his teeth with his tongue, leaping up over the disc with a tall leap into the air.

What awaited him was a storm of spheres. Kikoha of such number that it was nearly impossible to count; all sent from the gloved hand of Cyborg 35.

With a focused glare a wave of red, phantasmal fists faster than an experienced eye could track, detonated them through scathing contact. A cacophony of voluminous explosions filled the skyline of the ring. All the viewers could see nothing but flashing lights and the floating figure that was the strongest of the Pride Troopers.

A spiraling light pierced through the fire, gold in hue but reminiscent of the demonic piercing drill that the Nameccian often tailored in using. It was enough that Jiren had to draw an arm back and swipe it with an incandescent glow over his burned hand to parry the beam - sparks flying as he did so - and dispel it outright.

Just in time to see 35's face emerge from the rest of the dispelling flames before his bottomless gaze of blackness.

Throwing a fist towards their visage, he'd watch with surprise as they'd fire a kikoha below, allowing them to vault up and over his massive left gloved hand. In their forward flip, they'd twist around to launch a roundhouse kick to his head. A barrier covered track-suit shin struck a raised burned hand, the pair of limbs spurting lightning from the mere impact of two powerful opposing forces; one overpowering the other as the shell of lime light began to crack before splintering outright.

The defending hand turned and grasped their leg before they could pull it back, causing the twin fusion to gasp as he swung his left arm towards their face. In a split second decision, the fused warrior gestured their hands up to their face with splayed digits, and cried aloud a familiar technique Jiren had seen before.

Painfully so.

"**Taiyōken!**"

"WHY YOU-!" Jiren the Grey yelled out in anger, his eyes unable to close in time to shut out the searing blindness that overwhelmed his sensitive orbs. He recoiled, his hand stopping short of connecting but still releasing enough power that they'd be rend from their position in the air and soar across the Tournament of Power's skyline straight towards the void.

Twisting about, the pain-filled face of a swollen bruise with blood leaking out of their mouth, they fired a desperate kiai where they were heading and rebounded themselves narrowly before hitting the point of no return. This, however, carried their momentum to crash down into the arena below and only braced themselves with a timely conical shaped barrier before they'd receive impact damage. The blast of hitting it was a resounding gong, and they'd feel their head spin as eyes rolled around in their sockets with a dizzied look.

Pushing themselves upright, they'd hear a massive weight hit the ground followed by the feeling of sweltering heat emanating from the infuriated man of Universe 11.

"You think I need _eyes_ to defeat someone using parlor tricks?" Jiren spat, his eyes wincing shut as he raised a glowing fist.

"N-No, you probably could beat me blindfolded," The Potara Twins replied with a smile past the painful swell on their cheek. "But not _him_."

The earth buckled in sync with their ominous warning. Jiren's own concentration on the fused opponent was broken and he'd feel the kachi katchin flooring warp and distend, as if a quake was transpiring. Then, he felt as much as saw - what little his stunned eyes could see - an eruption of pure blue outlined white light; originating from a crouched Son Gohan, who had taken up a stance of his father's technique and waited for the right moment to release it, at this very moment.

"NGH!" He grunted out, thrusting his burned palm into the geysering beam of _ki_, holding it back through his own immense strength. He couldn't use his legendary gaze like he normally could, forcing him to physically exert himself past the pain of his own eyes.

At the same time, 35 thrust out both palms in a clasped fashion, and unleashed a salvo of kikoha like before while he was fixated on the Kamehameha from the floor. Orb after orb detonated like atomic bombs, blasting off his densely layered aura of fiery red, gold and orange, inhibiting his concentration on the young man's feverish attack.

The air sliced, a shifting in space, and the air turning into an overcast of violet-gold as a truly demonic light drill swathed the air in its swiftly moving trajectory straight towards Jiren's exposed right side. Jiren's restoring sight could trail it back to a freshly regenerated Bio-Android, casting a seething glare his way while launching the beam from a pair of purple index fingers.

"HM!" The Grey Titan grunted, focusing his black eyes to produce a phantasmal streak of crimson to impair the impact the infamous piercing technique. Lightning spiraled from the two's energies contacting, space distending and the ground beneath splintering against the supernatural opposition two's _ki_ packed. Even with the repeated explosions of kikoha and Gohan's Kamehameha, he maintained a solid footing on what scant ground the crumbling floor he possessed.

"Grrrrrrrrr!" Cell bared his teeth, still pouring his power into the piercing beam. "Damn you! Just pierce him already you good-for-nothing-!"

The mass of muscle had nothing to say.

He continued to persist on pushing back against his foes' combined assault. Even as 35's multitude of orbs continued to explode off his blistering aura to no avail and Gohan's mass of power was being held back by a single hand, his eyes maintained a fearsome glare that pushed back the Makankōsappō.

And then, a massive sphere of white light shrieked across the ring, barreling towards Jiren's left side. Raising a gloved hand without breaking his posture, the Grey Titan caught the charging sphere with a loud clang, sparks flying off his gloved palm along his fingers. Gritting his teeth, he didn't even need to turn to know whom it belonged to.

"_Even you are standing in my way, Saiyan prince?!_" He thought as he exerted energy to push the Big Bang Attack off his palm towards its source. Even as he felt the Super Saiyan God Super Saiyan's energy push it back, he was reminded of a similar but largely scaled tug of war he had with Kakarrot. As his mind drifted to such an encounter, he felt his concentration waver, the corkscrewing drill moving closer and the Kamehameha shoving him back while the orb churned back into his palm.

_SHINK!_

"Hngh!" Jiren grunted in pain, feeling a white hot blade drive itself into his back. In the periphery of his senses and his gaze, he saw the Universe 6 Nameccian, coalescing his power into an arm-saber to drive it straight into his flesh. If it wasn't for his densely woven aura, the edge might have gone more than a handful of inches, with the rest of his venting power congealing around the blade to halt its progress within.

"Such formidable _ki_," Saonel breathed out, his arms throbbing with visible veins that matched his own forehead as he tried to push forth with visible effort. "Had Pirina not join his power with mine, I might not have been able to pierce it at all!"

"You...all...are..." Jiren began to snarl, the energy of his body pulling inward till it was a skin-tight layer over his impressive stature. Then, he let out a hallowed yell, eyes releasing a piercing glare straight back at Cell as he spoke it. "NOT STRONG ENOUGH!"

"W-What-?!" Cell barely was able to utter, watching his Makankōsappō bend and whip around before dissolving outright. From his point of view, he'd take the head of Gohan's Kamehameha and turn it around to slam straight into a gaping Saonel; all while crushing the Big Bang Attack into an imploding shell of futile firepower.

A desperate scream was heard as the fused Nameccian was hurled off the ring, deep into the void - only flickering into the out of bounds after several seconds of his passage out of bounds passed.

"Saonel of Universe 6 is disqualified," The Grand Priest announced with a curt smile. "Seven fighters remain, and 29.1662 Tacks (or 14 Minutes for those who use that form of measurement) are left till the Tournament of Power is over!"

"S-Saonel?!" Champa gaped, his face oblong as he saw the resigned expression on the only Nameccian remaining of Universe 6. "W-Why did you do that?! You were fighting that Vegeta, right? Why did you take on Jiren?"

"Because, in the end, we both agreed," Saonel admitted, his eyes opening to looking at the massive tower of muscle that was Jiren, teeth bared and eyes arched into a half-mast glare poised at all of his opposition. "As long as Jiren exists, there's no hope of survival for any Universe that's his opponent."

"He does seem pretty unstoppable."

"Vados! Whose side are you on anyways?!"

"I'm an Angel, Lord Champa. I have no side," The tall woman replied glibly with a smirk, much to the obese Hakaishin's chagrin. Casting her gaze at Jiren as he looked on as the blue-haired Saiyan prince began to walk into the fray, Gohan himself crawling out of the deep hole he had made back to the surface and Cell standing tall with Cyborg 35, she couldn't help but comment. "But given the circumstances, I have to agree with Saonel. If any one of them fought him on their own, as they are now, they'd surely lose. A united effort is the only chance they have of besting him. However...

"With the kind of strength and focus Jiren has demonstrated, it might not be enough," Whis continued to explain, unaware of his own segue to his twin Angel sibling, as Beerus ground his teeth and stared hard at the force of nature their enemy was. "At the level he's at now, I'd wager even Beerus may have a hard time defeating him on his own."

"T-That's terrifying...!" Kuririn stammered out, now truly quantifying just how disastrously powerful Universe 11's ace fighter was. "Can they even beat him?"

"They have no choice," Tenshinhan added, closing his two main eyes while his third eye stared onward. "Its all or nothing. This is the final battle. Whoever wins will survive; the others will be wiped out."

"To think we have to rely on Cell as much as the rest of them," Piccolo spoke derisively, gripping his hands on his lap. "You better not make us regret picking you, Cell!"

"GO GUYS!" Goku cheered on, cupping his hands over his mouth as he yelled loudly enough for everyone on his bench and others spectating from Universe 6 and 11 to look with surprise at him. "YOU CAN DO IT! I BELIEVE IN YOU!"

"Dad," Gohan looked up with a smile, finding a vein of inspiration stir within him to see his father cheer him on.

"We must be in a really sorry state for him to be giving us encouragement," 35 replied with a wry smirk of bemusement on their face.

"I don't need a pat on my back," Vegeta intoned, stepping forward, his godly aura igniting with a golden-bluish flame as he stepped towards Jiren. "I'll defeat you with my own strength. That's my pride as a Saiyan and its the only thing I've ever needed!"

"I don't know about Saiyans," Cell laughed, walking up with him towards Jiren's opposite flank, his own golden fire of majestic _ki_ erupting around him as he approached his designated opponent. "But my pride stems from my perfection: I need no one to tell me otherwise. I'll defeat you because my superior design has made it possible; there is no other reason more than that!"

"So, your pride is what moves you forward?"

Jiren replies, his eyes closing as he feels out the strength of his respective enemies. From the unknowable Android to the rapidly rising endless potential of Son Gohan he reserved himself as the unpredictable elements. Meanwhile the straightforward powers of ego itself presided within Vegeta and Cell. Individually, they are no threat, but together he feels his nerves alight with readiness.

"Then show me, that your pride has worth," He muttered with hands resting flat at his sides, eyes remaining closed. "And has what it takes to bring me to my knees."

They responded in kind.

Clenching fists tightly, his aura exploded forth, and his eyes widened as the two walking towards him flickered in high speed. A golden carapace covered shin swinging towards his lower left side while simultaneously a powerful straight right headed to his face. His hands sought purchase against both, catching them with deft ease; to his surprise they both anticipated this and launched a combined kiai that was enough to distend his aura and indent his gut. His heels dug in, his mouth baring into a tight-lipped sneer and his eyes narrowed at the pair as he lifted them up and snapped both of his legs up into their bodies.

As they flew into the sky, Gohan rocketed forward, body low to the ground and arms held back. Somersaulting in a roll that avoided the first wave of phantom fists, he'd launch a rising double-kick from the earth straight towards his chin...

...one he avoided by stepping back, lurching his upper body just shy of it so his chin felt the scraping heat of his boot heels.

A flash of light soared into his face, forcing his eyes to dispel the stream of _ki_ through an intense glare reflexively. Peeling it back he'd see Cyborg 35 up in the air, harnessing another destructive disc behind their back and preparation of launching it.

Grasping Gohan's heels before they'd pull away, he swung up him up and around, bodily tossing him towards the synthetic fusion to inhibit their line-of-sight.

"KAMEHAMEHA!" The Saiyan half-blood swiftly yelled, firing the beam from a pair of hands straight behind himself, disabling his momentum and returning himself in a spiraling streak straight back into the Grey warrior.

"HM!" The black-eyed monstrosity raised his left glove, deflecting the grinding pressure of the rotating soles against his own protective material. In rigidly holding himself in place, his eyes widened at the sight of the Kienzan launched by the cybernetic fusion. It hummed dangerously close to the hybrid, buzzing over his skin and uniform with nary a scratch over dangling hairs and flourishing fabric straight towards the fighter's neck.

Without thinking that it was a move that could end his life, his gut reaction had him lurch down to avoid the dangerous cutting edge of the rotating razor.

"KA! ME! HA! ME!" Gohan chanted, his hands still venting the blue beam that propelled him like a human drill into the raised gloved knuckles that held him at bay. The soles of the boots began to emit a glow, much to the Universe 11 fighter's awe, that rotated with his own momentum.

"HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

Jiren wordlessly grimaced as he felt the blaze of life force shove into him like a hyper-battering ram. Sliding across the kachi katchin ring, all would see with surprise and horror as the warrior of the 11th Universe was being pressed back towards the edge. In addition to the soaring Saiyan's bodily spinning lance of light, a luminous follow-up surge of energy was released as the cyborg aided the son of Goku in efforts to push him farther off the arena's floor.

A powerful stomp and his departure from the ring became a fantasy.

"HMMMM!" Jiren forcefully grunted, his aura reverberating the pair's energies till he shouldered into them with one side of his body.

And then, he tossed them aside, sending it chaotically veering off course straight into the stands up and over the dead space of the arena.

"EEEEK!" Champa screeched at a high pitch, watching the light coming straight for him; only to then harmlessly wash over a barrier of Vados' instant creation.

"O-Oh...I-I knew you were going to do that-"

"Of course you did, Lord Champa," His attendant replied with her usual glibness.

"Damn...here I thought that'd work too," Gohan swore under his breath, watching Jiren stand back upright with a perpetual scowl.

"I almost cut his head off without thinking it," 35 admitted as they landed next to the Saiyan half blood. "Good thing he knew to dodge."

"Y-You almost hit me with that," The son of Goku retorted nervously. "Be careful where you throw those things!"

"Relax," The Twin Fusion replied while idly brushing hair over one ear, smiling disarmingly at him. "If I was going to cut you, I would've."

"I-I see," He sighed with a stutter. Blinking, the Half-Saiyan looked to and fro curiously. "Where's Vegeta and Cell?"

Looking straight up, the fused cyborg blanched. Poking Gohan in the shoulder, they pointed up and he'd gawk in response.

There, in the sky, Vegeta was releasing energy to sustain a forced levitation and Cell did the same. Bluish fire jettisoned evenly beneath a pair of spread feet while golden rings akin to the Captured Light Shell placed his feet into a posed stasis. It wasn't the same as flying as that ability was inherently locked; this consumed power and took concentration, but that was fine for the task they were committed to.

On one corner, the Saiyan prince had spread himself outward in a familiar pose the cyborg recognized and one Gohan had never seen. Lightning flared within the World of Void, a howling vortex of power that was only magnified thanks to the realm of gods his transformation had entered. His voice had been held back thanks to the chaos before, but now all could clearly see a mesmerizing halo of energy that was being harnessed by Super Saiyan Blue.

"T-That's," Cabba began to say, his face construed with shock and wonder at the same time. "The Final Flash!"

"It looks a lot more powerful than the one used against Magetta," Vados intoned verbally. "What we're seeing may be Vegeta's most ultimate attack."

"L-Look!" Champa pointed, seeing the floating Bio-Android forming a massive maelstrom of bluish energy behind him. It expanded outward, more and more, till it resembled less of a technique and more of a lunar body in how it was sized. "That kikoha is huge!"

The Angel narrowed her eyes at it. A thin layer of gold was seen weaving itself around the outermost layer of the Kamehameha's perimeter. From there it began to shrink, compacting itself more and more till it whined in it being contained into the size of a basketball between the Bio-Android's hands. It crackled and thrummed with an ominous feel, and based on prior use of this particular technique's applications...

...it explode at any time.

"Good luck bringing down Jiren with that technique," Cell intoned, earning a glaring side glance from the prince. "You might be lucky and take his arm with that; given he doesn't have my cells, that might actually _damage_ him this time."

"Be thankful I'm not aiming this at you," Vegeta spat with bared teeth, focusing his eyes straight at Jiren. Chuckling as veins throbbed across his pronounced forehead, he yelled out to his foe. "If you really are the strongest, then you should have no problem taking this technique head-on!"

"Bring it," Jiren replied, keeping his arms at his sides as he glared upwards at him. "Just as Son Goku before, I'll take your strongest ability and render it inert."

Vegeta chuckled darkly, his throbbing body fluctuating in mass while the totality of his charged energy swelled between his palms in a glorious golden-white ball of rolling plasma.

"It won't work," Kai intoned with a confident smile, the Universe 11 Kaioshin watching with confidence at the combined power drawl of both Cell and Vegeta. "Even combined they have as much of a chance of landing a meaningful blow on Jiren as the cyborg and half breed did. This won't be any different."

"Of course," Belmod spoke with a stretch of his red painted lips, the clown Hakaishin leering down at his prized fighter. "Where even Toppo failed me, Jiren can never be defeated. Son Goku, Anilaza, Hit, and even their combined efforts have not gotten him to knees. They have no chance-!"

"_**FINAL FLASH!**_"

Vegeta's voice hailed out, unleashing a streak of white-outlined gold straight out towards the ring that Jiren stood upon. The shriek of energy was so loud it brought all of the spectating gods backwards with blanching eyes, mouths agape; even Beerus found his eyes bulging at the sight of such a monstrous force of _ki_ sent its way to Grey Titan.

Before the black eyes of Jiren, he saw something that compelled him to raise his arms to deflect it. A terrifying resolve for destruction, all released from a pent-up figure he had taken far more lightly compared to Son Goku. Just as he braced himself for the inevitable collision he felt the space shift behind him and he looked over his shoulder to see a golden overcast of Cell's golden shelled purple skinned body maneuvering with the Captured Light Shell orb straight towards his back.

Right into where his shallow wound presided!

The pain that radiated as a monumental expulsion of a hyper-compressed Kamehameha detonated against his back, with his wound as an epicenter of the blast. His guard weakened, slackening in the face of a vicious storm of golden-white light, the luminous body hailing down onto his body and the ground around him. A mute cry of agony was released from his lungs while all the stunned spectators would see was a supernova of bluish-yellow sandwiching the man in between two powerful clashes of forces of an elliptical ignition.

Eventually, seconds later, as quickly as it materialized it died out. Like a fading star that was snuffed of its light, all that was remaining was a cloud of steam and smoke from the deep pit formed by the pair of blasts that the designated target was within.

All was silent as Cell's body materialized, his right arm was scorched past its immaculate golden sheen. Grimacing at his own injury, he knew he had to take a gamble to ensure both his and the prince's attacks actually met their mark. If it was by any way buffeted by his extraordinary _ki_ through a block or a counter-stroke they'd have wasted power over a futile effort. Thanks to Freeza's technique, he made good use of Goku's trademark move in making sure it connected the moment it made tactile contact.

Even as the prince descended to the ground with a stumbling clop of his feet, he looked on, grimacing as he took in rasping breaths from the exertion he put himself through. Regardless of their uncertainty, they all could feel the insurmountable power of Jiren. The real question was by how much of a margin was the damage dealt to him?

Cybord 35's eyes widened, seeing a standing silhouette within the crater. As the steam and cloud of smoke parted, they all could see the man himself, towering above the dip in the hole seemingly standing on a lone pyre of kachi katchin that refused to buckle under the the two blasts from earlier. His chest was marred across the pectorals down to his midcenter, covered in a swathe of burns that hissed audibly. Blood seeped into his costume, with his back in an equally grisly surface state of injury with webbed cracks of blackened tissue poised around the once insignificant cut that Cell had primed his attack upon.

"Was that it?" Jiren inquired dryly, bringing them all to jerk visibly back at his comment. His glare absorbed their shock as a curl of lips showed his snarling teeth. "If that is the extent of your resolve...then your pride...I can't imagine..."

Fists balled at his sides, eyes widening and his voice boomed out as a two-fold aura of blistering red and coral-crimson erupted from his body in a forceful hurricane of fury that echoed his words, "That you're all _this_ weak!"

Cell felt his blood go cold. Even now he persisted, with a strength that still exceeded his own. He knew that if he couldn't tap into the bulwark of Kefla's power presiding within him, then he was likely to meet his end here and now.

"Stay together!" Gohan called out, his own _ki_ rising up in a flame of silvery-blue, retaining that surreal glitter that the Bio-Android noticed when he first arrived to aid him in his fight against the Grey Titan. "We've wounded him, but that doesn't mean the fight is over yet! If we keep this up-"

A blur of red was all they could see. Jiren's titanic form moved with agility and precision that they couldn't anticipate. A massive shoulder slammed into the half-Saiyan's front, his body contorting along the flow of his biceps and triceps.

A mighty swipe later, and Gohan was sent flailing into the Tournament of Power pillar with a resounding crash; a blow so poignant that the whole of the pyre crumbled as he emerged on the other side, sending the whole erect structure falling down towards the fighters with a resounding impact.

Wincing, Jiren the Grey clutched his shoulder, his gaze looking upon as wisps of bluish energy crackled around the point of his charge hitting Gohan's body.

"_He absorbed the blow and redirected it back into my arm?_" The Pride Trooper mused silently, wondering if his attack did half the damage he head meant it to.

"Gohan!" Cyborg 35 cried out with horror, their eyes briefly flashing over to their downed comrade. Twisting their head back, their blonde hair bristled and blue eyes glared angrily at the 11th Universe fighter. Much to their dismay, another blur of red was what they'd see as it barreled straight for Cell-

-only this time, the Bio-Android erected a barrier of his own to halt his aggressor's charge.

"NGH!" He blanched, seeing the dome rattle like it was undergoing the largest of quakes. Seeing nothing but a red glare over a mountainous entity, a halo of fists were arranged in his line of sight. Let loose like a stream of fiery comets he'd witness the shield between himself and his enemy break bit by bit. Cracking and splintering, he'd watching a fist penetrate the disintegrating force field - the first of many - launching towards his defenseless person.

"_I can't avoid this!_" Was the only thought he had as a wave of imminent pain came towards his perfect carapace.

_WHAM!_

A gloved fist struck Jiren's raised arm, halting the barrage halfway, with only one singing straight into Cell's abdomen with a rattling spike of pain. As he doubled over in pain, he'd look up in disbelief, seeing the Saiyan prince himself grinding his knuckles against Jiren's gloved right forearm.

"Don't think I'm throwing in the towel just yet!" The widowspeak adorned combatant sneered, glaring defiantly up with a majestic flame of godly blue fire swathing around his body. "I've just _begun _to tap into my potential, Jiren, so don't go and underestimate me!"

"You Saiyans," Jiren twisted about, shoving Vegeta back and throwing a veritable storm of punches with his burned right hand at him. "Are all too predictable!"

To the surprise of Cell he'd see the Saiyan prince duck, weave and slide around the horde of seemingly dozens of arms lancing towards him. Penetrating his guard he threw a powerful uppercut, straight into the sore spot that Goku and Hit had landed minutes ago, reigniting the dull ache into a spiking jab of pain. Gasping aloud, the larger foe backed up before throwing another punch, this time Vegeta blocking it with a raised hand, albeit with a throbbing grimace of his own.

"I've been watching you move since the beginning, Jiren," The Saiyan prince boasted with sweat running down his face, veins throbbing across his pronounced brows. "I can now see your moves!"

Cell felt infuriated.

The mere sight of the Saiyan surpassing him in any way was an insult to his own design. He was a superior being, wasn't he? What good was his genes if he couldn't even keep up with the likes of the walking inferiority complex?!

"No more stalling," He sneered, slamming a hand over his waist and digging his fingers into his own flesh past the shell of his own exoskeleton. "_Give me more power, you brats!_"

In a successive series of violent throbs he felt the disconnection loosening, his own interior reestablishing with the organic battery that the fused Saiyans that lived within his absorption sac. With pain of the most agonizing kinds, he felt his body reignite with a furious rise of lime-colored energy. Reenergized, no, _empowered_ the Bio-Android returned his gaze to Vegeta and Jiren's stand-off.

Joining the fray in a bout of Instantaneous Movement, forcing the Pride Trooper to back step and parry sudden swiping blows from the perfect organism.

"Sorry, but I'm cutting back in," Cell intoned with a malicious smile present. "We have unfinished business, after all."

"So do we," Cyborg 35 spoke pointedly, dashing forward with a barrier wrapped around their body as they slammed into a raised forearm. With Vegeta howling in a furious charge and Cell crying out his own warcry, the three soon surged forward in a triage of reinvigorated attacks that managed to match the wounded warrior's current status. Bit by bit, they felt themselves throwing blows that were forcing Jiren on the defensive and putting him back from counterattacking.

At least for now.

There are seven fighters remaining, and 22.9163 Tacks (or 11 Minutes if you use that form of measurement) remaining in the Tournament of Power!

* * *

**A/N**: Finally. A new update. Apologies for the wait but I'm back in the game. As of recent events with life forcing me into a reevaluation and then dealing with indefinite quarantine I can now focus back on my stories; this one among many others.

Jiren's injuries are starting to take a toll on the Pride Trooper. With Vegeta and Cell's combined efforts (with even Saonel contributing in his own small way), they managed to wound the strongest man of Universe 11 to a degree they can now fight on somewhat even terms. Though Gohan has been knocked out - not out of bounds, at the moment - the three have the do what they can to put in the pain on their legendary foe.

Lots of good ol' fashioned teamwork here. I had a lot of fun imagining the kinds of maneuvers and combos that different people could have with one another. Gohan and Cyborg 35 work surprisingly well with how I arranged that. And of course good ol' Vegeta joins the fray and has an immediate bone to pick with Cell if it wasn't for the world's ugliest martian to fight.

Please let me know what you think and I'll get on the next chapter ASAP! Stay safe out there and look forward to the next update!


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